


Grace

by midorynoya



Category: Haikyuu!!, ハイパープロジェクション演劇「ハイキュー!!」| Hyper Projection Play "Haikyuu!!" RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teachers, Ballet teacher - Freeform, Body Positivity, Christmas Fluff, Emotional Abuse, F/F, Finding Love, Hinata is no longer sunshine, Kageyama is a confused gay, Karasuno chaos, M/M, Orchestra Teacher, embracing who you are, gay relationships, growing relationship, identies, savior
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:56:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 27,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28167369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midorynoya/pseuds/midorynoya
Summary: Hinata grew up as a kid prodigidy, a ballet dancer with a story to tell. His dancing was always a cry for help, a signal for anyone to come and save him from what he had to face. He faced a lot of things and everything about him suffered; his freedom, his smile, and his belief in love. All hope was lost. As a middle school dance teacher, he bumps into the guy who would eventually change everything. The guy who would kiss away every emotional scar he owned. They both needed saving, hope was absent. With a little bit of grace, with a little bit of influence, their lives could change forever
Relationships: Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu-mentioned, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou-mentioned, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi- mentioned, Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka-mentioned, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi-mentioned
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	1. What a Jerk

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I hope you guys enjoy this little book. This is my first long fanfic so I hope it's not too bad. Anyways, I don't have an update schedule yet but bare with me! This au, I think is really cute because I think Hinata would be the most amazing dancer and teacher and Kageyama would definitely be a master at instruments.

“It’s perfect! Don’t you think, Yamaguchi?” Freckles danced above Yamaguchi’s smile, one that was present after Hinata finished the finishing touches on the first dance. He was honestly exhausted, always spending his lunch break to plan for his next project. Oftentimes he would go hungry, and if it hadn’t been for Yamaguchi and his amazing cooking skills, he’d probably starve. 

Panting and dripping sweat, Hinata sat down next to his coworker and picked up the tupperware that was waiting for him. “It’s beautiful. But I can’t help but voice my concerns. I don’t know how you’re going to pull off the Nutcracker this year without an orchestra. Curse that stupid woman for quitting at the worst possible time.” 

“Can you really blame Maeko though? Daichi was giving her crap about new instruments, with the new budget and all. They both meant well, but they were bound to clash in my opinion.” Hinata peeled the top off of the tupperware, stabbing his now lukewarm spaghetti. 

“Yes, the school does need more instruments, but with that new established private school, it’s been soaking up all of the state’s money. That leaves us measly charter schools with scraps. If I hear someone else talking about that shitty Shiratorizawa school, I’m going to scream. From what Daichi tells me, at the board meeting their new principal Ushijima was an asshole the entire time. I already knew that though, since he looks exactly like one.” Tanaka, in all his tracksuit glory, came striding into the dance studio with a bag full of greasy fast food. 

He took a seat on the floor next to Yamaguchi, who was currently frowning at his choice of food. “How are you supposed to be a gym teacher preaching about health when you eat like crap?” 

Tanaka waved a salty fry in Yamaguchi’s face before snagging it with his teeth. “Not all of us are culinary geniuses like you. Let me fit into the stereotype in peace.” 

“Where’s your partner in crime?” 

Tanaka pulled out a rather gross looking burger, pausing mid bite to answer the question. “Oh, Noya? He’s probably off sneaking around with our favorite eighth grade english teacher, if you know what I mean.”

Yamaguchi’s face crinkled at the insinuation. “Daichi and Sugawara are going to have their heads if they get caught. Or worse, if they get caught by students!” 

Tanaka took the opportunity to form his mustard covered lips into a smirk. “Oh, like you and Tsukishima?” 

The hue of Yamaguchi’s usual tan skin tone was now a bright pink as he stammered. “I-It was that kid, Sota. He always needs help with his stupid work, and I can atest to this because he’s the same way with history. Tsukki had to bribe him with $20 dollars to keep his mouth shut.”

Tanaka gags. “You people and your relationships. Do any of you have any self control? Especially in a school full of children?” 

Yamaguchi scoffed after wrapping up the rest of his uneaten lunch.“Tanaka, you’re just jealous because Kiyoko continues to ignore you.” 

“She looked at me once last week. I’d say that’s progress!” 

Hinata, who feels out of place on the subject, clicks his tongue. “It makes me sad seeing you guys walk around being all lovey dovey and whatnot. I literally have no one, and I don’t even have my eye on anyone, which is worse than Tanaka.” 

“Hey-”

The freckled teacher turned his back to Tanaka, cutting him off. “Hinata I still don’t get why you’re single. A lot of people pine after you but you never notice them.” 

“I just haven’t found the right person.” Not to mention his confusion on what to look for. He was like the rest of his coworkers, who were basically all a part of the lgbtq+ community, but he couldn’t choose between male and female when it came down to it.

“Really? What about that technology teacher you met at that teacher’s conference? You were talking about him for weeks last year,” 

Hinata’s eyes twinkled at the mention of his new friend, replacing the loneliness they were possessing before. “Kenma? No, he’s already taken by his school’s principal. Plus, I only see him as a friend.” 

A sympathy smile was all that Yamaguchi could give. “Well, don’t lose hope. I promise there’ll be someone that catches your eye.” 

Thankfully for Hinata, the subject was changed by the burger eating Tanaka. “Oh, Hinata I meant to ask earlier, but don’t you have your kids doing exercise during practice? Like, actual physical activity?” 

Hinata’s mood brightened, something that usually happened when the conversation was about his students. “Of course! Well, the ones who aren’t doing my class for a mere grade, that is. The others are just just hopeless,” 

Tanaka started to crumple his now empty bag, “If you want, I can whip them into shape for you. During class this morning one of them looked like they were about to pass out from doing push ups.” 

Hinata laughed, although he shouldn't have. “Let me guess, Sota?” 

A burst of laughter erupted between the three, followed by a breathless shout from the gym teacher, “It’s always him!” 

Knocks were heard on the door of the dance studio, grabbing the attention of each teacher. The star of the show came trotting in, plopping down down in the middle of the black floor. “Hey guys! What are we laughing about?” 

Yamaguchi frowned at the informal greeting, “ _We_ were actually just talking about you.” 

Sota turned his nose up to the ceiling and brought his fists to his hips, showing light on his prideful smile. “You were talking about how awesome I am?” 

Hinata dared to laugh in the kids face, so he just stuffed his mouth with more spaghetti. “Actually, we were talking about how much of a pain you were for all of us.” 

Sota’s confident posture dropped to a slouch as he looked accusingly at his teachers. “Hey!” 

“Sota, what are you doing here? If I remember correctly, your class is supposed to be at lunch right now.” The expression that appeared on the student’s face made it clear that he wasn’t where he was supposed to be. “W-Well I finished my lunch early and believe or not, the second years in my class are quite boring.” 

Hinata noticed a raise in Sota’s voice, which usually happens when he’s lying, but he decided not to question it. “You shouldn’t be wandering the halls or you could get caught by the principal and don’t expect any of us to cover for you.” 

“I-I know! I just wanted to come and see my favorite teachers!” 

The freckled teacher raised an eyebrow. “If I’m your favorite, why are you failing my history class?” 

In a few seconds, Sota had scrambled to his feet and zoomed out of the studio with a wave. “Uh huh,” Yamaguchi stood, checking his watch to confirm that classes would be starting back up soon. 

“Hinata, from our conversation before, just be in it for the long haul and I’m sure someone would be happy to take you off the market.” With that, Yamaguchi was walking upstairs to go to his classroom, and it wasn’t long before Tanaka started to clean up himself. 

His tracksuit material made swish sounds as he bent down to ruffle the orange head of hair below him. “I guess I’m off to teach the brats. Hang in there, Hinata.” 

Hinata gave a weak smile, dusting himself off as he put his (Yamaguchi’s) tupperware in his usually empty lunch bag for later. “Are you going to the staff meeting today? I wonder what it’s about.” 

“You didn’t hear? Daichi found someone to replace Maeko. He’s starting tomorrow and wanted to appoint a teacher to show him the ropes for the first couple of months.” This news brought joy to the dance teacher, seeing that there was hope for the Nutcracker after all. 

“Really, Tanaka-san? You mean that?!” 

The gym teacher was already a foot out the door. “Of course. Try not to give him too much trouble tomorrow.” 

“Me? Trouble? I could never,” 

Hinata’s last class for the day came in shortly after Tanaka left, leaving no room for Hinata to feel lonely down in the basement as he usually did. He used to have Maeko for company, but after she quit last semester, Hinata had been by himself with an occasion of his students filling the void. The news about a new orchestra teacher put Hinata at ease and he ignored the thoughts of the rarity of the new guy disliking him. 

He made his way to the break room after the day was over, buzzed and excited to be talking about the expectations for this year. He practically skipped to his designated chair, which was surrounded by his faculty friends. His smile greeted the growling math teacher, the timid english teacher, the rowdy gym teachers, the freckled history teacher, the rather responsible science teacher, and the two rather quiet art and technology teachers. His roommate, the school’s receptionist came rolling in a little bit after Hinata, the bored expression she usually wore still lingering. 

Yachi took her seat next to Hinata. “Do you know what this meeting is about?” 

Hinata reached out, brushing the cheek of his roommate in hopes of wiping that miserable look off her face. It worked, her once sunken cheeks pink and puffed out from the touch. “H-Hey!” 

Yachi smacked his hand away, ready to bury her face in her hands. “Thank you. I hate seeing you look like that.” 

“Hinata, if only you understood. My job is so boring at the beginning of the year. This is like the twentieth time of me asking this but can we _please_ switch jobs?” Yachi intertwined her fingers, pointing her joined hands desperately towards Hinata.

He took the opportunity to cover her hands with his own. “If I remember correctly, you switched out of the dance major when we were in college for reasons you couldn’t explain to me.” 

Yachi came knocking on Hinata’s dorm one day with tears at the start of their sophomore year. The only thing she could muster up to say was that she was switching to education and left at that. The news hit Hinata harder than he thought it did, because they both had dreams of traveling the world and doing ballet together. He felt like Yachi had just stomped on that dream. He decided quickly to not let it interfere with their friendship, but it still left a burning feeling in his heart to this day. 

Daichi, followed by his two vice principals, commanded the room. “Alright everyone! Let’s get this meeting started,” The room fell silent, allowing for him to get started. “So, as you all know, we’ve been without an orchestra teacher since last semester due to the aftermath of the new budget. That damn Ukai knew well enough that we didn’t need a new fucking private in the district. He just did that to put money in his on selfish ass-” 

“Daichi!” His rant was stopped when Sugawara, one of the school’s vice principals, grabbed the hand of his while laughing nervously at the rest of the staff. “What he means is, we hired someone to fill Maeko’s spot last week. He’ll be starting tomorrow,” 

One of the gym teachers, who was currently clinging to his boyfriend’s side, slouched in his chair. “Man, I’m going to miss Maeko. She was kind of hot,” 

The english teacher beside squinted his eyes. “Nishi-” 

He was interrupted by a groaning Tanaka. “You are so right, my brother. But let’s not forget about our beautiful vice principal Kiyoko,” 

The two continued on with their shenanigans as they fist bumped, directing their dangerous smiles over to the quiet vice principal over in the corner clutching vanilla folders. “Ah yes! We stan Queen Kiyoko!” 

Daichi’s stern face was directed towards them, giving both of the death glare. Before he could scold the two, Asahi stood up, taking Nishinoya’s hand. “Since you’ve already briefed me on this year’s expectations, I’d like to leave early. I have business I need to take care of.” 

Asahi’s questionable eyes traveled to his shorter boyfriend, giving everyone in the room an idea of what that business was. At times like these, Daichi promised himself not to get between whatever situation Nishinoya got himself in with Asahi. “Um, sure. Nishinoya, I’ll just talk to you later about the swim team.” 

With that, Asahi practically dragged Nishinoya out of the break room. The room was quiet, mainly because everyone was trying not to create images of what the couple was doing. Well, at least that was until Tanaka spoke up. “Oh my. R.I.P to my brother’s legs,” 

The entire room spoke out some sort of version of “Oh my god,” and quickly changed the subject. “Anyways, Hinata, we're going to start with you. What’s your plan for this year’s Fall and Christmas show?” 

The position to speak was turned over to him, which gave him the opportunity to stand. “I’m glad you asked. For the fall show , I was thinking we could do a Cinderella ballet, but I thought I’d be really cool if it was done from the prince’s point of view instead of boring old Cinderella. For the Christmas show, I was thinking of the Nutcracker.” 

The first response was from Sugawara, who was always a fan of the ballets that the school did. “That sounds great, Hinata. A unique approach isn’t something people normally do with classics so we’ll be sure to win this year. I expect nothing less than excellence from you,” 

“I second that,” Yachi added. 

The rest of the room agreed, Tsukishima adding some remark how common the ballets were. “Thanks. I really think this year will blow out last year’s performance, but I’d need a lot of help from the art and technology department so I’m looking forward to working with Kinoshita and Narita on that.” 

They nodded in agreement before Daichi went on to explain the goal for this year’s academics. “Listen guys, we’ve been a B average school for the past two years and if we want to keep the attendance up, we need to make it to an A average school, which means I need you guys really being patient with the students and making sure that they grasp each concept. I expect great results by the end of this semester. Remember guys, we need to kick Shiratorizawa’s ass so we can tell Ukai he can suck his own shrimpy-” 

Suga’s elbow went to Daichi’s ribs as he pushed him aside and plastered on a fake smile. “What he means is, let’s have a great semester and an even greater year! Meeting adjourned,” 

Suga then turned to his husband, this time holding a threatening smiling. “Daichi? What did I say about losing your cool in this meeting?” 

Fear was displayed upon Daichi’s face as he chuckled nervously. He knew the effects of his husband’s wrath, so he knew the best thing to do was to tread carefully. “Not to? I-I’m sorry Suga, it’s that Shiratorizawa irks my nerves and their-” 

“-private pompous asses can go to another district for all I care. Yes Daichi, I know. We win with actions, not simple insults. So all we have to do,” Suga’s hand wrapped around Daichi’s tie and pulled him closer, “is beat them.” 

A couple of swift movements later, Suga and Daichi are one foot out the door. “You guys have a nice night and remember, go crows!” 

The two vanished down the hall, their giggles echoing and other questionable noises. Everyone was gathering there things to call it a night, everyone but Hinata. Having a front row seat in watching one of the world’s most beautiful couples, the conversation that was had between him and Yamaguchi popped back up into his head. He watched carefully as Yamaguchi tended to his tall boyfriend, and although Tsukishima was never one to show it, the looks that they gave each other was enough to read. They mostly kept their relationship to themselves, Yamaguchi on occasion spilled to Hinata about whenever Tsukishima mentioned something about moving in together or marriage, but it was never on display like Suga and Daichi. 

Maybe that’s why he felt more comfortable talking about their relationship, he never _really_ knew what went on behind the scenes. The same went for Nishinoya and Asahi, although Noya never filtered himself when it came to what they did in their freetime. It wasn’t until he felt a tug on his arm that Hinata realized that everyone had already left. “Are you okay?”

Yachi was holding out his satchel for him, in which he took it mindlessly. “I’m fine.” 

“Obviously you’re not, and if you want, we can have this conversation at home.” Yachi was responsible for turning the lights off in the break room and office, which gave Hinata a head start to the car.

While making his journey down the lonely marble halls, Hinata’s phone received a message, and in fact multiple messages which lead him to believe that it was the group chat he was in with Tanaka and Noya. 

Noya: GUYS! GUYS! GUYS! GUESS WHAT?! 

Tanaka: Dude you interrupted my lone funeral for you. 

Noya: I’m literally not dead. 

Tanaka: How could I possibly know that? I could be talking to a ghost right now. 

Noya: I- okay, ANYWAYS, I can’t feel my legs rn :)

Tanaka: Ohoho~ Has our oh-so-holy English teacher been doing deeds with the devil ;)  
  
Noya: All I’m saying is, I may need a wheelchair for tomorrow… 

Tanaka: Oh my if you do that, then you’ll really be living up to those brat’s name for you… stub tuna

Noya: Tanaka fuck you. I ate a tuna sandwich for lunch ONE TIME. And that’s why they call you VPKS 

Tanaka: What the hell does that mean?   
Noya: Vice principal Kiyoko simp

Tanaka: I- brats! They don’t know how to appreciate beauty! 

Hinata: Hey... Noya, do you really have to bring up your sex-capades up here? Some of us here are severely touch deprived. 

Tanaka: And who’s fault is that?

Noya: Oh yes, Shoyo. I do. I have a knack for shoving my shoving my success in others’ faces 

Hinata: Tanaka, it’s the ‘market’ of men’s fault for not having better choices. None of them can even meet the bare minimum 

In the midst of reading another text from the chaotic group chat, Hinata’s phone was knocked out of his hand when he clashed with what felt like a wall. The grunts the sounded immediately after from the “wall” had Hinata snapping his head up to see who he hit. 

What he had bumped into was in fact _not_ a wall, but a ridiculously tall, ridiculously good looking, man with a scowl stretched onto his face. Hinata’s eyes barely reached to the top of the man’s head, but the sights in front of him overpowered that fact. 

Blueberry eyes stared down at Hinata, most likely as they were hidden under the raven bangs. Hinata had a clear view of the man’s quite sharp jawline, and he later traveled his eyes up to the most handsomely clear face he had ever seen on a man. “Oh my…” 

The man’s lips formed into a frown. “Watch where you’re going, dumbass.” 

Taken aback by the insult, Hinata drew his head back. “H-Hey!” 

“And while you’re at it, could you maybe take your hands off my chest?” 

Confused at first, Hinata’s eyes traveled to where his hands were, eventually finding them pressed against the rather large pecs. He snatched his hands away, using that as an opportunity to pick up his phone and back away from the clearly ticked off man. “You don’t have to be so mean, jeez.” 

Hinata looked back only once as he finally set foot outside the school building for the day. Somehow, Yachi had already slipped past him and made her way to the car, where she was waiting patiently for your roommate. 

“When did you get here?” Hinata asked, as he walked to the driver’s side of their car. 

“I saw you talking to that really scary looking guy so I just slipped past you two.” Hinata wanted to laugh despite knowing that his roommate was serious. 

Still, he let out a chuckle once they turned away from the oh-so familiar parking lot. “I don’t know what he was doing at the school, but I hope I never see him again. He was a jerk,” 

They spent the car ride singing along to songs on the radio and talking about how boring their day was. It was always their dynamic once they had finished with the school day, no matter what either person was feeling. They were always lifting each other’s spirits whether it was needed at the time or not. Hinata knew then that Yachi was someone he’d like to keep around for a long time, even if her presence only filled half the empty void in his heart. Often he’d feel guilty about their friendship, knowing in a way that the constant need to be around her was just selfish and it was something he couldn’t help. It won’t take long before she decides that she wants to leave too. 

“Hinata, were you listening?” Yachi’s wet locks were dripping on her bare shoulders as she walked around in nothing but a towel. 

“Yachi… I thought we talked about this. When we got this apartment, you promised me that you weren’t going to parade your girl parts around everywhere.” Hinata said, pretending to gag. 

“Oh hush. You’re gay, I’m gay, who cares honestly? This is why we’ve worked well for so long,” 

“I get that Yachi but I like men for a reason!” Before Hinata knew it, one of their shared throw pillows smacked him in the face. 

Yachi found herself a robe in the midst of Hinata being blindsided and took a seat next to them on their couch. “How do you think this year will go?” 

“I don’t know, really.” Hinata picked up the remote from the coffee table and flipped to some random channel. “I have great expectations for the kids this year and with the ballets I have lined up I’m sure we’ll win both shows.” 

“How’s the choreography coming along?” 

Hinata’s body perked up as he turned, images of his new choreography playing in his head. “For the Nutcracker, everything is just clicking for me. When I’m creating the steps to match the music, I get this feeling, that feeling that all dancers feel when everything just goes right. I hope the kids feel the same way too.” 

Hinata felt Yachi’s eyes closely watching him, analyzing the emotions he was showing. Once there was confusion in the act, she decided to speak on it. “That’s the first time I’ve seen you genuinely smile like that in a while.” 

“What do you mean? I always smile.” 

She shook her head. “Not really. The smile you usually put on during the day isn’t real,” 

There was no point in trying to lie his way out of emotions. Hinata was never a good liar in the first place, especially when it came to Yachi and her perceptiveness. “How can you even tell?” 

“I’ve known you for a long time. When the smile is genuine, your eyes sparkle like they just did. I missed that little sparkle,” Yachi mimicked Hinata’s actions from earlier, brushing his flushed cheeks with her knuckle. “Welp, I have a long boring day ahead of me so I’m going to get some sleep. Try not to stay up too long,” 

Hinata nodded, waving as she disappeared down the hall. As soon as the coast was clear, he started moving furniture out of the way to create a clear space. Softly, he put on some of the soundtrack from Cinderella and started figuring out some of the moves in his head. Once he had a good idea, his feet willingly started to move, although they couldn’t keep up with his brain. 

He let his thoughts guide his movements as he centered around the prince. The story would start off with the prince sneaking away from the palace and into the forest, which he told with a few leaps and steps with a silhouette of arm movements. The nature around him came to life, starting the trees off with circling around the prince, each connected by a hand or a foot. Then they’d break off. The once dangerous barricade expanded, inviting the birds and insects to join in their play. Hinata would have to talk to Kinoshita about the array of lights for that sequence. 

He managed to create the first half of the choreography before he collapsed on the couch, way too tired to drag himself to his bed. Instead, he tugged on his designated couch throw and pulled it over his small body. He’d get scolded by Yachi in the morning, but sleep just couldn’t wait. 

*** 

“Hinata! What did I tell you about sleeping down here without setting an alarm?! We’re going to be late if you don’t get up!” He heard the voice that was yelling in his ear, yet he didn’t want to move. His body was stiff with the lasting sleepy affect, and all he wanted to do was stay there for hours. 

That feeling only lasted until Hinata felt the familiar plastic beads from the throw pillow hit his face. He grunted, sitting up so he could get a full picture of the current scene. “A lighter touch next time, Yachi please.” 

“Hinata, I’m being serious! School has already started and you haven’t even showered yet!” 

Hinata sprung up from the couch, his body finally catching up to his mind. “Why didn’t you wake me sooner, oh my god!” 

Hinata sprung into action, untangling his legs from the throw and finding whatever pair of shoes was the closest. He grabbed his satchel which was still slumped by the door and left their apartment, including Yachi behind as he sped to the car. He hadn’t noticed that he was forgetting something until his phone started to constantly go off, Yachi practically yelling through text on the other end. 

Yachi’s name popped up on the screen of his (their) car, which he picked up mindlessly. “What’s up?” 

“What’s up?!” Hinata winced at the sound of her screeching voice. “Hinata, you left me for one! On top of that, you haven’t showered, you’re wearing the same clothes from yesterday, and you have no way of explaining to Daichi how the hell you were late to only the _second_ day of the new semester. You tell me what’s up.” 

“Yachi, I’m sorry! I stayed up too late last night working on Cinderella and you know how I get with- that’s not the point! I-I hope you can get a ride from someone else. I think I have some spare clothes in my studio and I’ll just shower in that nasty locker room. I may have to get on my knees and pray about Daichi but other than that, i’m fine. I’m almost at the school now, goodbye!” 

“But-” 

His thumb hit the bright red button almost too quickly once he saw the school in view. Hinata rushed his way into a parking spot and ran around to the back of school where another entrance to the basement. He pried the heavy door open as softly as he could, practically tiptoeing down the stairs so it wouldn’t be too obvious that he was late. His dance studio was at the end of the hall, and he was expecting it to be bright and full of confused kids. That wasn’t the case. 

Hinata’s classroom was completely empty, the lights weren’t even on. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see lights illuminating the once vacant orchestra room, and thought that maybe his questions could be answered there. He made his way further down the hall, hopeful that the new teacher was just as nice as Maeko and that they’d understand about the dilemma. 

Rearing the corner that led into the classroom, Hinata started to make out his apology. “Hey, um, I’m so sorry to bother you and your…” 

_Class. Where’s the class?_

The classroom was found to be absent of kids, and Hinata found a man sitting in the corner where his desk was located. His eyes widened once he caught a glimpse of the man’s face, that it in fact was the jerk he ran into yesterday. “Hey, weren’t you-” 

The man held the same scowl as he did before and turned his back to the surprised dance teacher. “So you’re the incompetent dance teacher who was late to their own class. How unprofessional can you be to do something like that. I had to take on a whole other class on my first day. If it weren’t for the assembly going on at the moment, you’d be out of a job.” 

Well there’s definitely no point in trying to gain sympathy points. “Listen, I was just working on something for the fall festival and I lost track of time-” 

“Speaking of which. If I’m going to be here, the fall show needs to be perfect. Even if I have to work with _you._ ” Hinata finally saw the front side of the new teacher, but there was nothing nice about his expression. “I don’t know what kind of sloppy methods you use for ballet but it needs to be able to match my work. Which means you’re going to have to work harder than you usually do, even if that may seem incapable for you. When it comes to winning, I need for you not to slow me down.” 

He brushed past Hinata before any type of rebuttal could be formed and left without another word. As Hinata’s brain was trying to process the multiple insults that were thrown at him, he found the man’s keycard left behind on his desk. The picture that was printed onto the small badge was of the man smiling, and it may have been one of the creepiest smiles Hinata had ever seen. He shuddered, searching the badge further for a name. 

“Kageyama Tobio. Tch, what a jerk.” 

  
  



	2. I Don’t Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata makes an effort with Kageyama, and something from his past tries to creep back into his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, sorry this took so long but I'm probably going to be inconsistent when I update. I hope you enjoy, and next chapter is going to be a little more mature and wild. 
> 
> I've never really seen any fanfics that added any OCs, so I hope you like them!

Hinata breathed in the smell of chlorine as he waited patiently by the pool. He saw a flash of bleached hair submerging from the blue water, Nishinoya panting as he pulled himself out of the water. He beckoned for the towel that Hinata happened to sit by and it was chucked towards him. “Was Tadashi busy or something?” 

Noya took a seat next to the anxious Hinata, a pattern of water beads slowly sliding down his face. “No. Well, yes but I actually wanted to talk to you. Have you met the new orchestra teacher yet?” 

“Kageyama? Yeah, he’s kind of quiet.” 

Hinata’s brow quirked, wondering if they were talking about the same person. “Quiet? No. He’s very vocal about his opinion. You think he’d be a little nicer and kept his thoughts to himself but no he had to go out his way and insult me. ” 

Noya laughed once he saw the unfamiliar irritation on Hinata’s face. “What did he say to you?” 

“He had the nerve to call me incompetent. Me! When have I ever been incompetent? This school has won both the fall and christmas festival for three years straight because of Maeko and I. What the hell does he know?” Seeing his friend worked up, Noya couldn’t help but laugh. 

Noya’s hand gravitated towards the heated dance teacher, placing it on his shoulder. “Woah, Shoyo calm down. Ranting about him isn’t going to solve anything.” 

Although he meant well, his words were going in one ear and coming out of the other. Whenever Hinata got irritated over something, which was rare, his mind would often get clouded with questions. Only this time, he felt it wasn’t worth it. He took a deep breath before asking the question he was seeking guidance on. “How am I supposed to work with a guy like that for the festivals?” 

“Simple.” Noya rose to his feet, standing over his former kouhai and stood in a confident stance for his declaration. “You use that brightness that seems to touch everyone you meet and bear with it.” 

Hinata frowned at the mention of his ‘brightness’. What did people really mean by that? He was probably going to have to figure it out by himself, so he just nodded. “Thanks, Nishinoya. You always know just what to say.” 

Noya cringed, covering the pink hue that was now overshadowing his ashy skin. “Shoyo, we’re not acquaintances in college anymore you don’t have to keep calling me by my full name.” 

Hinata felt the need to smile, darting away toward the entrance. “I know, but it’s kind of stuck with me so deal with it.” 

With an eye roll, Noya helped Hinata off the floor. “Fine, I’ll let it slide this time. Are you coming tomorrow?” 

“The get-together? Of course! I wouldn’t miss it,” They passed by a class who was in a single file line, waiting to entire their next period. “I’m not drinking though. I had a massive headache the last time,” 

“Coward! That’s what the get-together is for!” 

He shook his head, remembering last year’s effects. “As the salty man himself mentioned before, who wants to have a school full of hungover teachers for a day, not to mention a hungover principal.” 

“Fuck Tsukishima, he’s a pain in the ass anyway.” One straggler from the class before walked by, gawking at the gym teacher with the foul mouth. “Noya!” 

His hand clapped over his mouth after apologizing. “Sorry, I forget to watch my mouth sometimes.” 

“I thought you and Asahi had a talk about that.” 

“Asahi has a _very_ colorful vocabulary, actually. He just likes to use it when we’re in a different setting,” He looked around to see if any kids were around, “between the sheets.” 

“Ew ew ew. I do not need to know about your sex life while I can see innocent little faces staring at me.” Hinata shied away from the tables full of kids in the lunchroom as if they could hear and were judging him. 

A sound of laughs erupted from the gym teacher as they reared a corner. “I guess that’s only fair since you have nothing to exchange it for.” 

“I can’t argue with that. See ya, Nishinoya.” Hinata was halfway down the hall when Noya called after him. 

“Bye Shoyo. Remember, smile!” 

With the new advice, Hinata had a different mindset when walking down the steps of the basement. He wasn’t going to fake a smile, but genuinely try to make an effort to look like he wasn’t faking every ounce of joy he had. The only joy he wasn’t faking really was his talks with Yamaguchi, Tanaka, and Noya, his home adventures with Yachi, and dancing. Smiling genuinely shouldn’t be too hard right? 

He found the scowling teacher alone in his classroom, whom he approached with the lightest smile he could muster up. Kageyama was currently tweaking one of the school's violins, a task he would always see Maeko doing since they were so old. “Can I help you with anything?” 

Hinata tried his best not to have his grin derailed by the flat tone. “Nothing in particular. I just wanted to see what you were up to.” 

Kageyama’s calloused fingers trailed along each string, adjusting the tightness as he went. “Don’t you have a class to attend to or are you just neglecting children?” 

“I actually have a free period, like you. Our schedules are basically the same,” 

Their eyes only met for a second before Kageyama positioned the wooden instrument in the space between his chin and shoulder, holding the bow to the strings in an angle. He glided the bow in one motion, a beautiful sound filling the once quiet room. Hinata felt a quick rush of chills, having never heard a single note hold so much power. “Shit,” 

Kageyama wasn’t as pleased with the results, his fingers twisting away at the notches. Hinata used this as an opportunity to try and use a complimenting tactic. “That sounded beautiful! It was kind of like shwah!” 

Squinted blueberry eyes met his gaze, another set of chills running up his spine. “No, it was not. It was really flat and with these battered strings I can’t really do anything about that. How can you be a ballet dancer and not know anything about music?” 

Ignoring Noya’s advice from before, Hinata retorted back. “I do know music, _Tobio_. You don’t even know me well enough to say something like that.” 

The tweaks had stopped, and Kageyama’s hand was now wrapped around the neck of the violin. “I don’t need to know you. I don’t have to know you,” His mouth twitched into a frown. “Why are you trying to force this?” 

“Believe me, if I didn’t think it was necessary I would’ve never set foot in this classroom. But, those beautiful kids upstairs are counting on us to give them their greatest performances. We can’t do that if you’re acting hostile.” 

Kageyama huffed, knowing that the dance teacher was ultimately right. He had two options now. He could swallow his pride and work diligently with the ridiculously bright hair, or judging by the sly grin he was being given he could stuff the dancer back in his place. 

He went with the second option. “Listen, idiot. If you really want to make this work, I need you to be able to understand the exact message that my music has. You can’t really do that unless you know the workings of at least one instrument.” 

Hinata smirked and leaned forward, holding his head in his hands. He wiggled his eyebrows, “Is that a challenge, Kageyama?” 

A sound of discomfort came from Kageyama, which he covered with a cough. Hinata was holding a stare with the man, intentions behind his eyes were unknown. He frowned through his blushed cheeks, “M-Maybe it is. I doubt you can do it though,” 

“I can do it! And I will!” 

“Good.” 

“But, on one condition.” Placing the violin back into its case, Kageyama peered up at Hinata, his eyes meeting that ridiculous smile he was wearing. “In order for you to truly get the message behind my ballet, you need to be able to understand the movements. Maybe it’ll help you with your music a little-“ 

“No. I don’t dance.” 

“Come on, Kageyama!” Without warning, Hinata’s small hands covered one of Kageyama’s, and the touch deprived side of him shivered under the touch. “You can’t do this for me?” 

“No.” 

Kageyama tore his eyes away since he knew he probably couldn’t say no anymore if he continued to look at those hazel eyes. His efforts were ruined when Hinata sat down on his knees and brought the hand that was in his grasp to his chest. “Please?” 

Under the fabric of the dancer’s sweatshirt, Kageyama felt the rhythm of Hinata’s heartbeat. It was quick with anticipation, waiting for an answer and if Kageyama refused, he would be able to feel the drop in his heart. How could he say no to that? 

“Fine.” 

The one word answer brought sparkle into Hinata’s eyes as he gave a squeeze to Kageyama’s hand. “Great! We have auditions in a few weeks and the first practice is the Monday after that. Maybe afterwards we can get started on you,” 

Hinata skipped out of the classroom before any other words were said. Kageyama stared down at his hand, the once warmth that was surrounding it left a tingling sensation in his palm. He huffed, ignoring the feeling in his heart and picked another violin. 

Hinata was excited to see his students today, since he’d be introducing his plan for the shows. The second and third years were mostly on his mind because last year, Karasuno suffered a defeat against Shiratorizawa in both shows, and most of them had given up and quit dance. Hinata’s spirits were down, sure but it wasn’t like he was planning on giving up this year. There are equal parts worry as there is excitement, but Hinata wasn’t going to make that a roadblock. 

There was a sense of freshness in his soul, despite having to take a shower in the disgusting school locker room on his lunch break. Using the empty studio to his advantage, Hinata stretched out his tired limbs, feeling the aftermath of his hard work from the night before. It wasn’t long before kids started trickling in, wearing the school’s burgundy P.E uniform. 

Once he was sure that everyone was here, he greeted the class with a smile. “Hey, everyone! Before we get started, I know there are a few first years in this class period so if we could go around the room and-” 

“‘Sup, teach!” Sota, who was wearing something completely different than the rest of his class, smiled and pointed finger guns at Hinata. 

“Sota, you’re late. Where is your uniform?” 

Sota brushed off the question as he went around the room greeting be he knew and didn’t know. “Ah, who really needs uniforms anyway?” 

The kids were sitting crisscrossed in a circle, which Sota infiltrated by sitting in the middle. “A kid who goes to a school that _requires_ you to wear a uniform.”

He jousted a fist into the air, “Freedom to the people!” 

“If that’s how you really feel, then maybe you can take your little protest over to Tsukishima- sensei’s class instead of bothering me. He’s a phone call away,” The instant fear that peaked on Sota’s face had Hinata confident in his disciplinary tactic and he continued on with the class. 

“Anyway. I’m so excited for this year’s shows, and I think you all will be too. I want to talk to you all about what I’ve picked for this year but before that, I was told that we have some new kids today?” 

The small chatter that usually filled the room fell silent, and daunting eyes went around. Out of the circle, there wasn’t an indication of anyone stepping forward, although there were three kids who looked unfamiliar. “There’s no need to be shy. In this studio, there is no judgement.” 

With that little push, a girl who decorated her sleek black hair with a blue ribbon raised her hand. “My name is Aimi. I transferred from Seijoh middle school and I’m a second year. Pleased to meet you, Hinata-sensei.” 

Just by analyzing the girl’s amazing posture, he could tell that she was a dancer and for many years by the way she gracefully put her hand down. Hinata was pleased, even though he was getting flustered at the formality. “Y-You don’t have to use an honorific. Just Hinata is fine,” 

The boy that was sitting next to her raised his hand, a calm demeanor radiating off of his laid back posture. “I’m Haruki. I came from Dateko and I’m a second year like this one,” 

“Nice to meet you, Haruki.” 

It was hard not to notice the last girl that introduced herself. She was practically buzzing with excitement as the other children went, eager to introduce herself to the ‘world’. She hopped up out of her recent crisscrossed position and stood in the middle of the wide circle, each hand on her hips. “My awesome name is Emiko! I’m from Jozenji and I freaking love dance! When I heard that the famous Hinata Shoyo was working here I begged my mom to let me come here and now, here I am!” 

Hinata felt warmth at the affirmations, a little embarrassed, but surprised I’m the end. “You’ve known me since my performing days?” 

Emiko turned, smiling widely and nodding furiously. “Of course! You were amazing! I’ve seen just about every ballet you’ve been in and just watching you move was mesmerizing. I mean, you’re like the definition of ballet. It hurt me when I found out that you retired though. I always wondered why,” 

Hinata’s smile tainted a little at that and he immediately went on to change the subject. “Well I’m glad I have the opportunity of teaching you. Have a seat and we’ll get started,” 

She took her spot on the floor among the rest of the kids and joined the pairs of eyes that were looking at him. “This year, I’ve decided to do Cinderella and the Nutcracker. But there’s a twist-“ 

“I would like to have the lead role, Cinderella.” Aimi said it without a twinge of humor. Her face was serious, almost like a scowl. It was little to close to the one Kageyama always had. “I would be the most fit to play her so I suggest you recommend me.” 

Eyebrows were raised at the assertiveness in her tone, which Hinata took lightly. “That’s great and all, Aimi but you’re going to have to audition like everyone else. Plus, Cinderella isn’t the lead role.” 

“Huh?” Haruki spoke up this time. “Then who’s it about?” 

“That’s what I was so excited to talk about. I was thinking of having a different perspective, since no one really talks about the significance of the Prince’s role. Yes, Cinderella had a sad story and it’s essential to talk about her blah blah blah. It’s an overplayed story, really. I think this approach will really grab people’s attention.” 

Although there was no verbal response, the kids were all impressed with the new adaptation. They were whispering amongst themselves, already claiming roles. “Auditions for that will be on Friday. If you have any more questions, you can always come and talk to me. Now, let’s get started.” 

The kids started with their own stretches, while Hinata shuffled through his playlist to pick a simple song to start off with. After picking one that he felt was suitable enough, he took this time to look at the level of skills each kid had. He took immediate notice to Aimi, who was holding a perfect stretch on the barre with her right leg standing perfectly straight in the air. 

She attempted a pirouette, which was nothing less than perfect. Her foot was pointed without an ounce of strain, and the flexed muscles in her arms guided her to keeping the graceful arabesque at the end of the move. It was mesmerizing, really. 

Next to Aimi was Emiko, who attempted the same stretch, although her legs needed to be just a little straighter. Each girl had potential, even with Aimi having a little more poise with her movements. Either way, it excited Hinata that he’d get to coach the talent in front of him. 

He took notice of Haruki next, who he’d expected to be lazy. Instead, Haruki was doing high fifths in three second increments and his balance was steady. His laid back persona from before was almost completely gone, and he was taking the stretches seriously. Hinata had some impressive students this year. 

Satisfied, Hinata clapped to get their attention and stood in front of the mirror wall. “Okay guys, since you’ve basically done barre stretches by yourself, together we can do some centre practice before I show you this impromptu choreography.” 

Everything about that class went smoothly. There was a promising group of kids this year, talent that hasn’t come through Karasuno in years, raw talent that Hinata just tweaked a little, would form into something great. Maybe even greater than him. 

“Yamaguchi!” The freckled teacher was down the hall, exhausted and ready to go home for the day. Some of that tiredness went away when Hinata beamingly skipped towards him. “I’m guessing today was fun for you, as always?” 

“Well, not at first, that Kageyama guy’s attitude really bothered me. But once I got to my last class for the day, I met the three amazing new kids who have so much potential! You’ve gotta see them Yams, they’re amazing.” 

“That’s great! And speaking of Kageyama… I may or may not have invited him to the new school year get-together.” Yamaguchi created a distance between them, bracing for impact. 

The dance teacher’s face fell, brows twisted into a straight line. “Yamaguchi! Why?! Why why why why why?! I already have to put up with his cranky attitude at work! Outside of this place was supposed to be the escape.” 

“I-I’m sorry! It’s just, he’s new here and he doesn’t look like he has many so friends so I thought I’d be nice and-“ 

Hinata sighed, regretting his lashing out. “It’s fine. What you did was a good act and it would just be cruel to single him out. Why do you have to be so nice, Yams?” 

“It’s a force of habit, really.” They walked to the front office where Yamaguchi said his goodbyes, before joining the impatient math teacher. Hinata tried to wave, receiving an eye roll before he slipped into the office. 

“Hey.” A cute blonde side ponytail peeked out from behind the desk. The smile that usually greeted Hinata wasn’t there though. Yachi went back to the desktop in front of her, ignoring the presence of the other person in the room. 

“Oh come on, Yachi! Don’t be like that.” Hinata walked around her desk to face her, but her chair swiveled to the other side. He groaned, grabbing the back of the chair and spinning it back to his direction. “Yachi.” 

She glared at him. “What?” 

“I’m sorry, okay? I was in a rush this morning and I wasn’t in the right headspace. I’m sorry you were on the other side of that.” Hinata tried to smile at the angered face before him, but Yachi’s eyes were directed toward the floor. He reverted back to old measures by sweeping his knuckle under her chin, bringing her eye level up to his. 

Yachi’s cheeks pinked up, and she pushed his hand away. “How can you be gay but flirt so shamelessly with women?” 

Hinata chuckled as he pulled a chair up next to hers. “I only do that with you because I know you only get embarrassed by it.” 

“That’s just cruel, Hinata.” 

More chuckles were heard from the dance teacher. “I meant to ask this earlier, but who did you get a ride from?” 

Yachi muttered the words, “Kiyoko-san.” 

“Really? I didn’t even know you guys talked like that.” 

Yachi’s embarrassment faded a little. “Me either! But I was panicking and she was the first person I thought of. What’s weird is that she actually took me to lunch too.”

Hinata smirked. “Lunch huh?” 

The receptionist shook her head, burying her face in her hands. “I-It’s not like that! Just friends, that’s all!” 

Hinata’s smirk remained as he removed Yachi’s hands from her face. “Mhm. I’ll believe that when you stop looking like a tomato at the mention of her name.” 

After Yachi finished up her work for the day, they went straight home and ordered takeout, both too tired to cook an actual meal. Empty burger wrappers and plastic cups sat on their table and they were both scrolling away on their phones before Yachi spoke up again. “We got a call right after you left.” 

Hinata tore his attention away from his feed, his eyes meeting a face of worry. His brows furrowed. “Really? Who was it?” 

“Your mother.” 

He froze at the statement. “I don’t have a mother.” 

“Hinata don’t say that. She’s been thinking about you and she wants to talk-” 

“I don’t have a mother anymore.” 

“Hinata! Stop being so stubborn!” Yachi angrily crumpled the wrapper in front of her. “She’s actually trying to make an effort to talk to you and you’re acting like she’s dead.” 

“That’s because she is to me! The mother I cared about, the mother who had worth, died along with her days of regular alcohol intake. Whenever she calls it’s either to criticize me, to ask me for money, to try and find a way to contact Natsu, or when she has one of those episodes. I’m not falling for that.” 

“Hinata. She’s broken and she has been for a long time. Maybe she wants to get her life together for you and Natsu. That effort can’t be one-sided though.” 

Hinata gritted his teeth. “She’s not the only one who crumbled. In fact, she’s the one who left _me_ all messed up. Why would I want to talk to the woman who did that?” 

The room fell quiet and the only thing that was heard was Hinata’s simultaneous foot tapping. He dragged his trash off the table and deposited it in the trash can before trotting off to his room. He shoved earphones in his ears to block out whatever Yachi had to say about his mother and started visualizing himself at his happy place. The stage. He thought back to his performances, the ones he was proud of, and the ones he weren’t. His visions always had the feeling of his movements as they happened, and his direction toward the captivated crowd. 

That image only shattered when he caught a glimpse of his mother’s face, one that held zero emotion. His eyes snapped open, meeting with the beige ceiling and a slow ceiling fan. His vision blurred, and he could feel the tears sliding down the sides of his face. They were hot, practically boiling as they slid down his heated skin. “Dammit.” 

*** 

Faint knocks were heard on the door later that night. Glowing digits on Hinata’s alarm clock told him that it was 3 am. “Come in.” 

Hesitantly, Yachi poked her head in. “Hey. I come in peace,” 

As the bed dipped, Hinata sat up hoping that his eyes weren’t too red and puffy. “I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve my yelling, you were just trying to help.” 

“But I did. I was overstepping. B-But the only reason for that is because I just want you to have closure with her, you and Natsu. You haven’t been able to smile genuinely for a long time, and that’s mainly because of her. Then that thing happened with-” 

Hinata winced. “Let’s not go down that road.” The bags under Yachi’s eyes notified him that he needed to end this conversation soon, since they both needed energy for tomorrow. “Look, I appreciate you for wanting to help my relationship, but that woman does not want closure. She just wants to break me because apparently, I was too happy to realize the reality of the world.” 

They decided to call it a night, with Yachi too tired to go back to her own room. This usually happens when either of them needed to talk or just wanted the company. Nights like those happened too many times with Hinata’s past relationship and so he promised to make it a tradition to take some weight off of Yachi’s shoulders. She had been picking up so much of it after all. 

The next morning, the both of them were so persistent with getting to work on time that they had gotten there early, and only a few teachers had arrived. The tall teacher couple was there, early as always, so Hinata decided to camp out in Tsukishima’s classroom. 

“Hey Yams, _Tsukishima-sensei_.” Hinata shouted out his presence, and was greeted by a twitching frown on the math teacher’s face. He took a seat on a desk that was close to Yamaguchi. “Hey, Hinata.” 

“One, get your ass off of my desk and two, do not call me that.” Hinata started swinging his legs, ignoring Tsukishima’s requests. “I think I’m going to keep calling you that since you insist on having the kids say that and bow to you when they enter your class.” 

Tsukishima, with a yardstick in his hand, batted the dance teacher until he slid off the desk. “There is nothing wrong with demanding a formality. Sorry if my class doesn’t consist of children pointing their toes and running around in tights.”

“Ballet is not just about that. It’s about grace and poise, which is something your stiff, lanky body can’t produce.” Hinata earned a glare before he was chased out of the classroom, waving goodbye to Yamaguchi before he made his exit. 

The day was mostly slow, which was unusually since Hinata made a pact to always have a bright day. It could’ve been the night before, the conversation that was had, that could’ve brought his energy down. Even so, he embraced his artificial bright persona and skipped down the hall to the orchestra room. Kageyama was found tweaking a cello this time, although his focused gaze was broken when the fluff of orange hair plopped down in front of him. 

“Why are you bothering me again on my lunch break?” He tore his gaze away from the instrument and zeroed in on the bright dance teacher. 

“Because you’re always cooped up in here instead of socializing with everyone else in the break room.” He shrugged, dragging his fingers across the row of strings. 

Kageyama scoffed. “I would love to enjoy my lunch but instead i’m stuck fixing these crappy instruments.” 

The grin on Hinata’s face dropped a little. “Yeah, that’s been the problem. Ever since Shiratorizawa opened, the county’s money has been going straight to them.” 

Kageyama shrugged, the disinterest to continue the conversation was displayed in his movements. “I applied there.” 

“Really? Then why do you work here?” 

Kageyama stood in front of the tall shelf of instruments, playing a little game in his head to determine which one he wanted to tweak. “They declined my application.” 

Hinata leaned on the shelf next to the orchestra teacher, only getting a few glances as he talked. “Yeah, but why here? There are plenty of other schools who could use your skills.” 

Settling on an oboe, Kageyama extended his arms, flexing his biceps and slid the case off of the top shelf. “I heard about the reputation this school used to have at the Miyagi shows and wanted to see for myself.” 

“Oh that? That was all Maeko-san. She was here a couple years before me, but she quit last semester.” There was no response, and Kageyama’s full attention went into the instrument in front of him. “Speaking of, I wanted to talk to you about the selections I chose. Are you familiar with the Cinderella ballet?” 

“Overrated, but yeah.” Kageyama muttered. 

“I know that, which is why I’m changing the story up a bit. It’s going to be from the prince’s point of view this time.” Hinata beamed, hoping for a better reaction than what he got. 

Instead, Kageyama gave a lazy nod. “Nice.” 

The dancer pouted, “Oh come on, Kageyama! If we want to win, the ballet needs to be amazing and I can’t do that without the music! When people watch the ballet, it needs to go ‘whoosh’ so people can feel ‘bwah’! And we can’t do that without ‘shwah’ from you.” 

Kageyama set his screw down, frowning at Hinata as he met his stare. “I have no idea what any of that means.” 

Hinata clapped his hands together, filling the dead room with more sound as he stood. “Trust me, when I’m through with you you’ll have a better understanding of what I mean.” 

He winked, skipping to the door before he voiced his goodbye. “Bye, Kageyama-kun!” 

*** 

“Wait wait wait, let me get this straight. You’re going to teach Kageyama how to dance? How are you going to do that?” 

“Well, he is certainly stiff, maybe even more stiff than Saltyshima but I definitely think I can break him down and mold him into a nice dancer.” 

Yachi skeptically eyed her roommate. “He insulted you, didn’t he?” 

Hinata gritted his teeth once they were outside the vacant building. “He called me incompetent, so if course I’m going to show him up. I’m nowhere near incompetent.” 

“You know, I’ve noticed how illy he responds when someone mentions you to him. He must be different, since it’s very rare for someone not to like you.” 

“See! That’s what I thought and-” 

Hinata’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and a song from one of his favorite ballets started to play. He strayed away from Yachi, leaning against a pillar as he checked the caller ID. The smile, the bright energy he had once before dropped. He had the urge to decline it, but his curiosity overtook his fingers. 

He took a deep breath before he brought the phone to his ear, his nerves were starting to creep up. “What do you want?” 

“Shoyo, my love!” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave Kudos, and once again I don't know when the next chapter will be. Don't be afraid to comment either and constructive criticism is encouraged as well.
> 
> Update on next chapter: I’m still here, just having severe writer’s block so I don’t know when the next chapter will be


	3. Nightgate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s the night of Karasuno’s annual staff get together and as the day ended Hinata received an unexpected call. Effects of that call drive Hinata into a questionable state, and for the rest of the night his determination for a remedy influences his decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry that this took forever but I had some major writer’s block. 
> 
> I decided while writing this that I was going to portray Hinata, as well as Kageyama differently from what most people portray them as. Since he’s an adult, I figured Hinata should be a little more serious and less innocent than a lot of people think of him as and it’s all crucial for his character development. 
> 
> Kageyama may still be the same, but he’s not going to be as confused about feelings as people portray him as. He’ll also have a splash of social anxiety, since I think it represents his character so well. There still is room for character development for him though so I’m not going to be changing that. 
> 
> Other than that, enjoy!

“What do you want this time? Money? Love? I’m not giving you either.” His teeth sunk into his bottom lip after Hinata spoke. Any type of pain he could inflict on himself would help from lashing out. 

The laugh that he heard sounded so eerily unnatural. “Shoyo, let’s not be rude. I just want to see how you’re doing.” 

“Miserable, thanks to you and your crappy mother skills.” He responded flatly. If he was talking to his mother in person, he would’ve seen the fake smile slip off of her face in an instant. 

“Don’t you fucking put that on me. You were the one that ruined your life, your career because you got injured. You have to carry that weight on _your_ shoulders.” 

Hinata gritted his teeth as the desperate woman’s mouth spewed out blame. “You really don’t think you played a part in my career being destroyed? Do you know how many jobs I lost because of the bruises on my skin? The ones that were too dark to cover up with makeup? I couldn’t have done that shit myself.” 

His mother huffed, although she didn’t have the right to be angry. “I don’t give a fuck about that. Each one of those were _deserved_ because you didn’t appreciate me. That was in the past and the fact that you’re not on a stage anymore is your fault. You had plenty of chances to make a comeback but you threw that all away by taking that stupid job.” 

The lip biting no longer worked and Hinata was close to punching the brick wall in front him. He used his nails instead and dug them into his palm. “Really, mom? You want to talk about throwing away lives? How’s your sobriety coming along?” 

“That’s none of your fucking business.” Irritation was evident in her tone. 

“Except it is, mom. You talk about getting back into Natsu’s life and yet, you can’t even commit to staying away from alcohol. You’re probably drunk right now, aren’t you?” There was no verbal response on the other side but the question was already answered. 

“I shouldn’t have had high expectations for you. Goodbye.” The ending tone on the other end distanced itself as Hinata put his phone away, anger seeping through his movements. 

Yachi stayed a few feet away from him out of respect, but when she saw the dot of blood on his bottom lip, her suspicions were raised. “Who was it?” 

Clouds were in Hinata’s mind, and the only thing he could think about was the burning remedy. “Nevermind that. Let’s get home quickly so we can change and get to the party on time.” 

Skeptically, Yachi followed behind him as he made his way to their joint car. It was a silent car ride, which was something that was completely rare for the two. The air was tight with tension though, so there was no way a friendly conversation could’ve taken place. 

At home, Hinata went straight to his room to roam through his closet. He had no plans on being conservative tonight; it was a way to get back at the woman who had forced him into that mold. Black was the theme and it contrasted well against his hair color. He decided on a plain black crop top, tight so it would help insinuate his queerness, complimented with a black jean jacket, black skinny jeans, and black converse. 

This choice of style was nowhere near his regular wardrobe, and it was a cry for help in itself. With a quick check in the mirror, Hinata tried not to notice the scary dark droop his eyes had, or else he would’ve broken down. He swiped the eyeliner off of his dresser, one that he’d stolen from Yachi and careful applied wings on each eye. He surprisingly had a steady hand, even though his experience with eyeliner was still green.

“I’m ready when you are!” He shouted as he waited in the living room. Shortly after he was greeted by his roommate, who was now wearing a face of concern. 

“That’s a lot of… black.” She commented. Hinata laughed, the sound was unnatural, and as he closed his eyes Yachi noticed the black wing on each of his eyes. Something was definitely wrong.

“I thought I’d try something new.” 

Suspicious about that answer, Yachi eyed him as they exited the apartment. This car ride’s tension was a little less tight, the difference being that Hinata’s intentions were clear. The familiar mood was hard to read, and whenever he got like this there was no telling what he was thinking of. 

The host this year was Nishinoya and Asahi, and the destination was their apartment. They ended up being the second to last ones there, since they were always the last ones to leave the school. The smirk that Hinata sported when walking up flights of stairs was painted with terrible intentions, and that was an indication that tonight was going to be a long one. 

The faint sound of music amplified once Nishinoya swung the door open to greet the new guests. The grin he had slipped off of his face when he took in Hinata’s appearance. “Wow. Um… not to be gay or anything but Hinata you look hot.” 

Hinata slipped past the opening Noya created with his arms, “Thank you, I try.” 

Enlarged eyes flew to Yachi, searching for an answer, but all she could give was a shrug. “He received a phone call as we were leaving and he’s been distant ever since then.” 

The oldest out of the group were standing in the kitchen, talking quietly while the younger teachers sat at the rounded wood table. They were in any particular conversation, but they all went silent once Hinata approached. The grumpy math teacher was the first to speak up, a remark spilling out of his mouth. “You look like you just left a rock concert full of alternative teenage girls. Who hurt you?” 

“No one, _saltyshima_ I just thought I’d try something new.” Hinata avoided the piercing stare as he took a seat next to Tanaka, who was quietly staring at him in awe. 

“Oh I get it… I hope this isn’t because of the new rendition to the staff that should be here any minute now?” Tsukishima pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the light fixture glare bounced off of his lenses. Behind the frame was an intimidating hold, a prison that kept Hinata’s eyes from looking anywhere else. 

“N-No, okay? Is it so hard to believe that I wanted to do something for myself?” 

“Yes, actually.” He answered, like it was a given. 

Hinata decided to brush off the taunting math teacher’s pressing. “Whatever. Yamaguchi, get your boyfriend.” 

Poor Yamaguchi jumped at the mention of his name. “U-Uh right! Tsukki it’s not nice to-”

“Kageyama! You made it!” Nishinoya’s booming voice got everyone’s attention as the newest member of Karasuno’s staff appeared in the door frame. 

He was wearing a simple outfit, jeans and a shirt, but the only thing he could think about how _delicious_ he looked. Delicious was never an adjective Hinata used on people, but in this instance it fit so well. 

“Great! Now that everyone’s here, I’d like to announce tonight’s agenda.” The staff’s attention was directed towards Nishinoya, who was standing next to Tanaka. 

“Since, he-who-must-not-be-named forgot to buy booze, there’s been a change of plans.” Tanaka’s eyes accusingly went to the shorter male. An elbow went into his side, in which he yelped and crouched away.

“Anyway,” Nishinoya flashed a warning glare to the groaning gym teacher. “we know a guy who manages a bar not too far from here so we thought it’d be cool to have the little get-together there. Is everyone cool?”

The mention of a bar seemed to satisfy the staff of young adults, especially Hinata. It wasn’t long before everyone was downtown walking the streets, city lights bouncing off eager faces. In the front, Noya and Tanaka were leading the way with Daichi, Suga, and Asahi behind them to make sure they weren’t doing anything stupid. Kiyoko was behind them, surprisingly having a conversation with Yachi. Hinata would have to ask about that later. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were having a point lacking conversation with Ennoshita, while Narita and Kinoshita kept to themselves. That leaves Hinata with the new teacher, who’s been quiet ever since his arrival. 

“Oi, Kageyama!” His fixed scowl swiveled, his glare traveling down to find Hinata’s face. 

“What?” 

“You’re so stiff, dude. It wouldn’t kill you to loosen up a little bit.” His posture looked unnatural, and judging by his hesitant footing, Hinata could tell that Kageyama was uncomfortable. 

If he could, Hinata would tell him anything that could make his anxiety vanish. Maybe then he wouldn’t look so out of place from the rest of them. “You know Kageyama, you dress kind of plainly. Like an unemployed middle aged man who eats chips all day.”

His eyes flickered toward the orange tufts of hair. “Are you just going to keep making passes at me all night?” 

Feeling satisfied with his subconscious plan, a smirk played on Hinata’s lips. “No, I was just trying to get you to talk.” 

The group turned a corner, where the reckless leaders of the group announced that they were close to the destination. “Although, I was being serious about your clothes. I could take you shopping when you have free time. You’re in dire need of a makeover.” 

“Eyeliner’s not my thing,” was Kageyama’s delayed response. 

“It could be, you may never know. You’d look hot with little black wings at the end of your eyes,” 

A strained grunt was heard from the teacher while a light rose color dusted his cheeks. “Whatever.” 

Hinata bit his lip, this time for a good reason. The plan was to either get super drunk and deal with the consequences in the morning, or laid and deal with the consequences in the morning. He had two viable choices in front of him. Each were calling his name enticing him to feed the guilty pleasure, although the quiet man next to him was more tempting with the fitted shirt that hugged his muscles. 

The group came to a stop in front of a lively bar, white cursive letters spelling ‘Nightgate’ at the top. It was surprisingly fancy on the outside with decor that a regular usually wouldn’t have. Soft white lights hung from the ceiling of the retractable roof, giving the place an all around muted aesthetic. It was definitely weird for a bar. 

“How do you know this guy again?” The question lingered in everyone’s head, although it wasn’t really a valuable piece of information. 

“We met at a conference for gym teachers,” Tanaka answered, “but since then he quit to become the manager of this place.” 

Once the group was inside, the setting of the bar gave its name a little more meaning. On the outside, it looked like a nice little restaurant you could bring your family to, but on the inside, the place looked like something you’d see in a porno. Only on the rainbow side of things. 

There was a lot of naked going on, skin glistening under the multicolored strobe lights, and mainly a lot of leather. And poles. A lot of poles. The entire scene made Hinata feel so out of place, yet so at home. It was all surreal. 

The brooding orchestra teacher who used to be at his side was clinging to the entrance. You could see his shaky frame from any distance and the way that his face twisted in discomfort. If it were any other setting, his overall reaction would've been too adorable to intervene in. 

“Are you okay?” Kageyama’s posture stiffened when Hinata neared, although his attempt to mask his discomfort was time lacking. 

“Y-Yeah, of course I’m fine. That’s a stupid question,” 

Hinata cocked up an eyebrow. “Are you sure? I mean I get it, this bar is a little more extreme than most gay bars that I’m sure you’ve seen but-“ 

Kageyama’s eyes bounced when the revelations of this type of place were realized. Anyone who’d actually set foot into gay bar wouldn’t have had the reaction he just did. “Oh my god… are you straight?!” 

Kageyama’s face stretched into something unreadable, he slumped against the available wall, and his eyes traveled to the floor. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this but, I’m not sure. I’ve been trying to figure that out.” 

“I see… why don’t we grab a drink and talk about it?” 

The sudden tug on Kageyama’s arm left no room for protest and he was dragged to a bar stool. The free bartender gravitated towards the two. “What can I get you?” 

“How high would you let a tab get in one night?” Hinata asked, scoring an alarmed expression from Kageyama. 

“The cut off is $100. Why, did someone break your heart?” The bartender smirked, charisma oozing from his posture. He seemed to be good at keeping up a conversation with drunk strangers. 

Hinata decided to play along, sporting a dangerous smile. There was no way he could compete with the one who did this for a living, but he was definitely up for a challenge. “Can a guy get wrecked without having a reason?” 

The bartender took notice of this and decided to play as well,“Of course, but not $100 dollars worth. So what’s up? Trashy boyfriend, family issues?”

“Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about,” he turned to the gawking teacher next to him, “you either. I just have a bad case of the party animal.” 

The last note created a thick and uneasy atmosphere. Glasses clinked, oodly grotesque conversations gave a nice background to the silence between the pair. “So how about it? Shots?” 

The bartender perked up from his lean and went to work, keeping up a conversation as he moved. “I don’t think I’ve seen either of you around before. How’d you find out about this place?” 

“Our coworkers know the manager.” In record time, two colorful shots were passed toward the space in between Hinata and Kageyama’s arms. The one on the right was downed quickly by Hinata, a shout for more came out in almost an instant. 

The one on the left was untouched, gawked at by Kageyama. “So… have you at least experimented with anyone?” 

Hinata pushed the small glass towards him, and he could practically feel as the scraping of the glass made the teacher more nervous. Kageyama took his time examining the glass before Hesitantly bringing it up to his lips. He winced at the burning feeling in his throat, “All I know is, straight ‘films’ and boobs don’t interest me like they used to.” 

Intrigued eyes perked, “Really? I never pegged you for a guy to watch porn. You’re a pretty lonely guy, aren’t you?” 

The raven haired male let out a frustrated huff, “I don’t know why I thought it was a good idea to have this conversation with a dumbass like you.” 

One of the dancers, dressed in a leather belted outfit brushed past the pair, sending the taller one into an anxious mess. “A-Are they all dressed like that?” 

He directed the question towards the bartender, who just chuckled. “Kageyama there’s no need for you to feel nervous. If these are your people, then you should be fine. Maybe you need a beer or something to calm those nerves. Can I buy you one?” 

The bartender, whose name Hinata had to get later, flicked the knob of the dispenser and passed the light brown liquid. “Are you trying to get me drunk or something?” 

The dancer shrugged, “Maybe. One drink won’t hurt, right?” 

Those words were the last sober ones spoken that night. Multiple beers and cocktails were consumed, the familiar buzzed feeling went around. The talk about sexuality soon left the room and meaningless giggles stepped in its place. 

The once brilliant orchestra teacher of the earlier night had two straws sticking out his mouth while his drinking partner laughed hysterically. The bartender, who had been closely watching them, shook his head at the joke that had been told five times already in the span of two hours. “I think it’s time for you to start drinking some water.” 

“What?! No, we’re just getting started!” Hinata whined as his ninth cocktail was pushed away from him and was replaced with a glass of water. He slumped, staring at the clear liquid with squinted eyes. 

He took one sip, his body reacting badly to the contrast of alcohol. He became ansty again, which was something he was trying to cover up by drinking. Whenever Hinata got drunk, all he wanted to do, no matter who he was with, was dance to his heart's content. All he wanted to do was move, tire out his body and live in the carefree feeling. It just so happened that the orchestra teacher was the next victim of this. 

“Kageyamaaaa!” 

Kageyama flinched at the loud whine, “What, dumbass? You made my ears ring,” 

“Let’s dance!” Hinata wiggled his eyebrows and began to rock with the stool, anxious to move his body. 

“I told you, I’m not a dancer.” 

“Sober Kageyama may not be,” He tugged at his wrists and pulled him to a stand, “but drunk Kageyama could surprise you.” 

Kageyama snatched his arms away, swaying back to his stool with a grunt. “No way.” 

“Hmph.” Frustration was quickly washed with determination. Hinata’s flashing thoughts reminded him as to why he was here in the first place, so he had to try harder to get what he (drunk him) wanted. Hinata nodded to himself as he shrugged off his jacket and set it on his previously occupied stool. He gripped the pair of broad shoulders in front of him and leaned forward, some out of place strands tickled his potential partner’s neck. “Kageyama… you’re not really trying to turn me down, are you? I’d look crazy trying to dance by myself and I’d be open to any pervy strangers who could easily overpower me. Little old me can’t really defend against buff gays, now can I?” 

Manipulation, especially when it was something he was in dire need of, never failed for Hinata. It was something that could bless and curse him at the same time. Even though he couldn’t differentiate those outcomes in this situation, he was happy once the music teacher stood again. “One song.” 

Hinata grinned, “One song.” 

The crowd in the middle of the bar bumping to average club music was their next destination. Kageyama, although in his tipsy state, stiffly followed after eager Hinata as he practically skipped to join the wave of bodies. His uneasiness from before was still present and it only got worse when he was dragged deeper into the crowd. His quickened heartbeat rang loud in his ears and as people started to close the gap the pair had created, and his breathing became more labored. 

In the midst of his panic, Kageyama saw big brown eyes, traced with black eyeliner. They were calming, warm, and had the magic of making everything else look like slow blurry images. His eyes traveled down the moving lips, the lack of sound from them, and the light pink tint. Even as they moved, a faint smile was there, a beautiful one at that. Chills ran up his spine as he felt his panic start to calm, but the cause of that were the hands suddenly placed on his shoulders. 

“Are you okay? I can literally feel you shaking,” Hinata peered up at him, slightly straining from the height difference. 

“I’m going to look stupid if I try anything, so I’ll just stand here and sorta watch you or whatever.” 

Hinata giggled at his partner, “Don’t be silly, Kageyama. Just move your body to the music.” 

“That’s really helpful. Thanks,” He responded flatly. 

“Quit the sarcasm, it’d be better if I just showed you.” Before any type of response, Hinata took in a deep breath, closing his eyes before listening to the music that was actually playing. It was R&B, a slow tempo, a song that would do body rolls and slow swaying justice. His eyes sprung open, locking on the partner in front of him. 

Without asking for permission, he let his hands slide down Kageyama’s arms, and left them residing on either side of his waist. He felt Kageyama’s spine stiffen, and he could see the deep blush, even under the changing lights. “I’ll guide you, but I need you to look at my hips in order to get it. You can’t do that with your eyes staring at the ceiling.” 

Hesitantly, the stiff male brought his deep blue orbs down to the comforting brown ones. “Good. You ready?” 

Kageyama nodded, and Hinata started to move as an example before he explained what he was doing. “You see what I’m doing? My hips are swinging slowly, from left to right in a wide U shape. I’m going slow so it compliments the beat.” 

Kageyama was watching closely, almost mesmerized with the way Hinata effortlessly moved, like it was something he could do as naturally as breathing. Of course, he wasn’t going to say that out loud. “Is this how you teach the kids?” 

Hinata giggled, “Sh-Shut up and pay attention. Let me see you do it,” 

Kageyama tried on his own, moving a lot less elegantly than his partner did and he could feel his joints shifting uncomfortably.“This is stupid.” 

Hinata held back a snicker as he squeezed the music teacher’s waist, urging for him to stop. “It’s not, I promise. You’re just thinking about it too much,” 

“Here.” Hinata released Kageyama’s waist and turned around, backing up until he felt a body behind him. He heard a small gasp come from the other man, ignoring it as he grabbed the free hands in front of him. He placed them on his touched deprived hips and ignored the skip of his own heartbeat. “I’ll lead the way.” 

He swayed slowly, feeling the beat of the music again, and the movements of the body behind him starting to gradually fall into the same movements. He let his mind go, his body moved freely, exploring every beat or note it could pick up. The added heat from his partner encouraged him to sink further into it and his hands went anywhere they pleased. In this moment, he wasn’t thinking about his mother, he wasn’t haunted by the mistakes of his past. He was only thinking about the music, the movements, and the hint of the person behind him. 

Kageyama’s hands rested comfortably on Hinata’s waist now, and he himself was starting to feel the music more. The stiffness he had before was gone as the both of them regressed to sway, neither fully conscious of what they were doing. 

Hinata was the one who finally broke their silence, once the song changed he wanted to change their movements. “You know how to body roll, right?” 

“Not at all.” Kageyama’s breath tickled Hinata’s ear, the sensation had chills shooting up his spine. He nodded as he placed the music teacher’s hands on his hips again so he could feel his new movements. He rolled his body forward, unintentionally rubbing against Kageyama’s growing arousal. “You just arch your back a little and then just slowly roll your hips forward. It’ll go great with this song,” 

Once Hinata repeated the move, Kageyama rolled with him, and the two were practically in sync. They moved like that for a while, each ignoring their rising sexual desires and the fact that were both finding it hard to breath properly. They may also have been too drunk to care, anyway. Hinata let his hands roam wherever they needed to in order to brace himself, eyes shut and focused on the music. At times, his mind wandered to thoughts of consequences from this and guilt was slowly creeping up on him. He tried convincing himself that it was okay, since what he felt didn’t feel like he was using anyone anymore. 

“Hey, isn’t that Hinata?” 

Hinata’s eyes snapped open, his eyes searching the crowd for where that voice came from. His eyes landed on a pair of guys, one of them pointing to him and Kageyama. The other who was staring right at him, had a familiar face. He squinted, trying to get a better look, but once the lights changed to a bright yellow, he froze. He stood, forgetting about the music, forgetting about his partner, forgetting about the world for a minute. That man, with the face that triggered Hinata in many different ways, was making his way toward him. 

He panicked, having flashbacks flicker with the lights. The man stood in front of the pair, smiling like he couldn’t ruin Hinata’s life with one sentence. “Hey-” 

“E-Excuse us!” Hinata almost tripped trying to move away from the man, dragging a confused Kageyama with him as he weaved through the crowd. He spotted the bathroom to the left, and he didn’t stop walking until he heard the bathroom doors close behind him. 

“Hinata.” 

He tried taking deep breaths, hoping that it would make the image of the man’s face disappear. “Hinata, what’s going on? Who was that guy?” 

Memories resurfaced, the man’s face was the mere trigger for it all. They came rushing in at once, which didn’t agree with his stomach. His legs suddenly felt weak and he managed to carry himself to the nearest toilet bowl. 

He emptied what felt like his entire stomach, as he did so, cold sweat slid down his hot forehead. He was shaking, waves of chills running up his spine. Pressing his palms on the cool tiled floor, he tried propping himself up. Ultimately failing, he closed his eyes, trying to imagine that he was in a different place. 

In the background, the squeaky stall door swung open, and Kageyama poked his head in. Hinata wanted to smile, reassuring that he was fine, but in his current state he couldn’t find the energy to lift his lips. “Are you okay?” 

He could, however shake his head, in which he did so. “Can I take you home?” 

“Please,” was all he could muster up. 

Kageyama, thankful for Hinata’s light weight, crouched and waited patiently as Hinata climbed onto his back. He grunted, trying to rise to his height with the added weight and left the bathroom quickly. He stole a glance from the mirror though, making sure his ‘issue’ had gone down. That was definitely confirmation that he wasn’t straight. 

He couldn’t spot any of his coworkers once he was back into the bar scene. “Guess I’ll have to do this myself,” 

On the way out, he saw the blonde receptionist at the bar with one of the vice principals, the female one, and she looked like she was embarrassed at whatever topic they were talking about. 

The slumped person on his back caught her attention, and her eyes widened when she saw the bright orange tufts of hair. Before she could ask why her roommate was unconscious, Kageyama waved her off, reassuring with a brief smile. 

Once outside, Kageyama patted his jeans in search of his phone so he could order an Uber. When asked what the destination was, he shrugged the resident on his shoulder. “Oi, dumbass what’s your address?” 

“Mhmmmm~” 

Kageyama sighed and started typing, “My apartment it is, then.” 

“You’re taking me home? You naughty, naughty boy.” Hinata chuckled into his helper’s shoulder, emitting hot air into the shirt of his fabric. 

Exhausted, Kageyama puffed air into his cheeks and let his mind wander. When he was dancing with Hinata, he loosened up, which was something he’s never been able to do. Not even with previous girlfriends. Just the way that Hinata was looking at him with those tempting brown eyes, that even if he’d ask him to be a getaway driver there’s no way he could refuse. 

The sleeveless crop top Hinata wore left his skin bare, and the entire time they were on the dance floor Kageyama was chewing on his bottom lip to keep his teeth under control. His heart was pounding, even as he carried him on his back and he felt like it was going to burst. 

He wished that he could stop thinking about recent events, to have some kind of normality as coworkers, but when his mind went back to where one of Hinata’s hands slipped under his shirt to brace himself, he realized that their relationship wouldn’t be professional. At least for him. 

He could only hope that Hinata didn’t remember a thing when he woke up the next morning. 

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed :). Don’t forget to leave Kudos! 
> 
> Again, I don’t have an update schedule so whenever my brain wants to agree with me and I have free time, a chapter will be up. Next chapter will be in Kageyama's pov


	4. Cream Cheese Bagel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama gets Hinata a bagel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um so, I may have written a little too much with this chapter since I planned on writing the auditions, but it just turned out to be in Kageyama's pov. 
> 
> Again, sorry it took so long. 
> 
> I decided mid chapter also that Suga would be the designated person that Kageyama would go to for problems with Hinata because Suga is definitely like an older brother figure. 
> 
> The reason why I had Hinata be a big supporter of body positivity will be explained later but it's a little headcanon of mine
> 
> I also may or may not go into both of their backgrounds fully, but that won't be until later. 
> 
> Otherwise, enjoy :)

Lively sounds of the early morning downtown slipped through the crack of Kageyama’s guest bedroom. Sounds of honking cars and yelling strangers are what made the fatigued dance teacher flinch in foreign covers. One of his eyes opened enough to squint, where then he realized that he didn’t recognize the wall he was facing. There was no yelling Yachi either. 

Sitting up fully, Hinata rubbed what was left of sleep out of his eyes so he could open his eyes. The overhead light he was met with pushed a headache to start and the pulsations of his forehead caused him to groan. “Ugh, why didn’t anyone stop me last night?!” 

_Last night. What happened last night?_

After a few minutes, Hinata’s mind caught up with the events of last night as he quickly scanned the room to confirm that he wasn’t in the comfort of his own home. The chaotic bedroom he was used to waking up in looked nothing like this one. It was tidy, with muted colors, a boring navy blue being the central theme. He searched the room again for any clues as to whose apartment he was in, and settled on a picture that rested on their left bedside. It was a framed picture, a woman and a man who looked exactly alike. The woman was much older, sporting a little gray in her raven hair with faint laugh lines around the corners of her mouth. Next to her was her son, the owner of this apartment Hinata was guessing, and he was the splitting image of her. 

“Oh my god…” After taking a better look at the man in the picture, Hinata shut his eyes as memories from the night before started to collect in his brain. He remembered the drinking, the laughing, the dancing, the touching, and the arousal.

“Teaching him how to dance, my ass. God, Hinata what is wrong with you?” He could hear the future words coming out of Yachi’s mouth once he explained why he didn’t come home last night. All he could wish for now is that he didn’t do anything very stupid, although he wasn’t going to count on his drunk self. 

He did a clothes test, confused that he was only wearing an oversized shirt and boxers, and slumped back into the foreign bed. It was nice for once to have his be supported by a fully fluffed pillow, it felt like it was new. He could stay in this feeling, not having to worry about an abusive mother, a reality where he actually enjoyed muted colors. Conflict wasn’t possible in the muted color fantasy, just a boring consistency. He decided quickly that it wasn’t a reality he’d survive in. 

Humming was heard outside of the muted color fantasy, basically jumpstarting his mind again. There was a problem he had to face that was outside this reality. “Here we go, I guess.” 

His feet padded the hardwood floor as he slipped out of the silk sheets, rubbing his cold and exposed legs before stepping out to the other side of the door. The hallway led him to an open area, where the kitchen and living room were. He wasn’t alone, he figured as much once he saw the back of the tall figure. Hinata wasn’t new to this situation, by now he’d have said his goodbye, found his belongings and slipped out the door before there was any awkward conversation. 

But this time, that conversation couldn’t be avoided. They worked together and this conversation would happen sooner or later. Hinata shivered as he took a few steps forward. _Small talk is the way to go._ “I assume you’re keeping your apartment below zero because it’s warm outside, correct? You’re not like a psychopath or anything?” 

Kageyama turned, shrugging as he did so. “I was born in December. I like the cold,” 

“Hm. Well, I was born in July. I hate the cold,” 

Kageyama decided not to dance around the topic hanging over their heads, “Maybe I should’ve given you something warmer then.” 

“Yeah, about that. W-Where are my clothes from last night?” Hinata searched Kageyama’s face, closely watching for a slip of an emotion, regret maybe, but his face was kept neutral. 

He nodded in the direction opposite of where Hinata came out of.“They’re in my washing machine. You threw up. A lot.” 

“That’s… ew. I’m sorry you had to deal with all that, especially since you were drunk.” Hinata made a safe bet of walking over to the kitchen and sat down in one of the swiveling stools. Kageyama barely made eye contact, but at least he was talking. 

He was sorting through bills as an excuse to look down, and he did so for the duration of their conversation. “By that time I was just about sober. Halfway into our little drink fest, I asked the bartender to start giving me water instead. You were too drunk to notice,” 

Now, the dancer felt embarrassed of what Kageyama had to deal with. He’d only heard stories of what he was like when he was drunk so he had a good idea. “Wait, so you were basically sober, lucid I should say, when we were dancing?” 

This time, Kageyama finally looked up to meet the familiar brown eyes. “Basically. You’re a terrible teacher,” 

Hinata scoffed, “You learned the moves, didn’t you?”

Raven colored bangs shifted to the side as Kageyama tilted his head. “I was just moving like how you were. I didn’t really _learn_ anything. Is that how you teach your students?” 

“Well not necessarily _that_ method but-” _Wait_. “oh crap! The students! What time is it?” 

The music teacher smirked at the frantic male in front of him, “Relax. You obviously can’t go into work today because you look like absolute shit right now. I can work something out with the other teachers so your classes won’t be left unattended. With Daichi though, you’re on your own.” 

Hinata winced at the future conversation-- lecture-- he’d be getting from Daichi later. “Thanks. I promise I’ll make it up to you,” 

His eyes traveled to the small brown paper bag on the counter, accompanied by a mug and aspirin. “What’s that?” 

“Oh, um. I have no idea what you like for breakfast nor do I know how to cook breakfast so I just got you a simple bagel, coffee, and aspirin for that bitch of a headache you probably have right now.” 

Although it was small, Hinata’s heart warmed at the gesture and fished the bagel out of the bag. It was a plain one, nothing special looked to be added. He took a much needed bite out of it, swallowing fully before he could praise his new coworker. “This is like heaven to me right now. What’s in it?” 

“Just simple cream cheese.” 

“Kageyama.” Hinata freezes, alerting the person across from him. His eyes widened mid chew and he began to hold his mouth. “I’m _allergic_ to cream cheese.” 

“What?” Panic rose in the raven haired man reached for Hinata’s mouth, squeezing his cheeks in. “Spit it out!” 

Laughs erupted from Hinata and he watched as Kageyama’s expression dropped to a scowl. He dropped his hand, fighting the urge to smack the man. “I’m just kidding, ha! You should’ve seen your face! That’s like the most expressive face I’ve seen from you.” 

Squinted blueberry eyes followed the dance teacher, “That wasn’t funny, dumbass. I’m gonna go now before it gets to late,” 

It took a few seconds to process for Hinata as Kageyama was gathering his things but once he realized, he shouted over the half chewed bagel in his mouth. “W-Wait! How am I supposed to get home?” 

With one foot out the door, Kageyama shrugged again. “I’ll take you home when I get back.” 

Mouth free of bagel, Hinata almost lept out of his chair. “Well, what am I supposed to do until then?!” 

“Make yourself at home.” The door shut before Hinata could protest further. 

_Kageyama_

“I definitely should’ve given him more clothes.” Kageyama muttered to himself as he replayed Hinata coming from his guest room and wearing one of his old shirts. The shirt looked like a dress on him, it stopped mid thigh and it didn’t help that he still had smudged black wings on the outer corner of his eyes. It was a cute look for someone who had just hurled three quarters of their stomach but he shouldn’t be thinking about cute. 

He must’ve sorted through his mail three times trying to avoid looking at the exposed thighs displayed in front of him. It wouldn’t have been right for his eyes to do such a thing. Maybe he should’ve used what little strength he had left to tell his body the same thing. 

The school was still kid free by the time Kageyama set foot inside, which gave him some time to explain to Daichi what the situation was. He knocked twice, muffled giggles were heard on the other side before there was a response. “Y-Yes?” 

Kageyama peeked his head through the door as he opened it, revealing himself to a blushing Daichi. “Is there a problem?” 

“Uh no. No problem,” He sat in one of the chairs facing the large brown desk. “I was just wondering how big of an issue it would be if I took over Hinata’s classes for the day?” 

Daichi’s brows formed into a straight line. “I hope you’re not implying that Hinata’s not coming in today?” 

“Well sir, I-” 

“And I most certainly hope this doesn’t have anything to do with last night? Three drinks was the rule, if you two forgot.” Daichi’s tone dropped an octave and chills ran up Kageyama’s spine. 

“No sir, definitely not but-” 

“And I don’t know if you two have met before and that could be the explanation for why you’re doing such a big favor but it’s quite a big one. It’s only your third day here,” 

“Guilt is the only reason, sir.” It was the first time Kageyama admitted the pressured feeling in his chest out loud. Looking at the situation from the outside, it may have looked like him and Hinata were just having fun, dancing and feeding their touch deprived souls but what the outside didn’t show was the fact that Kageyama felt like he was taking advantage.

The question of that night was his sexuality and someone who was too drunk and too carefree to mind was an opportunity within itself. After following the three drink rule, his mind and eyes were only focused on the cropped shirt that kept riding up everytime the other male would use his arms to replicate sound effects. After thinking about it later, it felt like objectification. When asked if he wanted to dance, his immediate answer wasn’t a yes because of the argument he was having with himself. 

_This isn’t right, you don’t know him and this would only complicate things at work._ Of course, the argument in his mind was shut down once Hinata pressed his body against Kageyama’s defenseless back and whispered against his vulnerable ear. Next thing he knew, his hands were everywhere, testing out the unfamiliar areas of a partner, seeing which ones he could see himself liking in the future and which ones he didn’t. The small hands that stayed parked on his hips didn’t help either. He felt like he was test driving an instrument that he was unfamiliar with, pressing or touching things to see how they would work. It felt good in the moment, later on it felt extremely wrong. 

“Guilt, huh?” Just by the way Kageyama’s eyes darkened, Daichi could tell that something was off. He wasn’t going to investigate himself, but he couldn't deny the fact that his curiosity was there. “I’ll allow it, I guess. But you tell Hinata to report to my office tomorrow morning,” 

Daichi was pulled away shortly after that, leaving Kageyama to report to the basement. The halls were still empty, since it wouldn’t be another hour until kids would start to show up and that was ample enough time to collect his thoughts. 

The new environment he was surrounded by felt lonely, like all the other ones and it was partly because there was no one he could talk to. It was his fault after all, for acting like an emotionless robot around coworkers. His mentality is what had him separating his personal life from his work life and the party from last night was definitely pushing that. He thought about staying home, being antisocial as usual, but the thoughts of coming home to an empty apartment, the thoughts of stepping out onto the balcony and watching the ant-like people below branch out and live is what convinced him otherwise. 

Lights that usually were turned off in the music room were already on, and a patient Suga was waiting for Kageyama to arrive. “Sugawara-san?” 

“What’s going on?” Kageyama took a seat at his desk as he faced the man in front of him, curious about the unexpected visit. Suga laughed at his subordinate, “Please, Suga is just fine. The only person who demands any kind of honorific is Tsukishima.”

Kageyama only interacted with the tall blonde briefly, but it really only consisted of two words and judgmental glares. “He’s a… weird one. I wonder what made him want to go into this profession,” 

“I would ask, but he’s not the type to open up, even though we’ve been working together for 3+ years. I asked Yamaguchi instead and he didn’t really know either, which is bizarre.” Suga took a seat in front of Kageyama, taking a quick examination of his posture and plastering a grin on his lips.

It was quiet for maybe a minute before someone broke the silence. “Was there something you needed, Suga?” 

He shook his head, gathering his thoughts and looked around the room once more before settling his eyes on Kageyama. “Right. I was just coming down here to see how you were settling in. We haven’t really had a chance to talk since your first day,” 

Kageyama wanted to throw on a confused expression, to ask why it was necessary, but he thought maybe that was why he was so unapproachable. “I’m good so far, thank you.” 

“That’s great, honestly. How are things in the basement? It’s not a luxury, I know, and Hinata has complained many times about the noises but it’s kind of all we have. Also, how are things with Hinata?” Suga, a master manipulator of getting people to tell him anything, masked the fact that he previously received a text message from Daichi.

“Well, he’s back at my apartment in nothing but a shirt and boxers doing god knows what so I’d say we get along pretty easily,” Is what Kageyama wanted to say. He shrugged it off, instead replying with a nod. “He’s uh, very bright.” 

“Hm. Where is Hinata, anyway? Daichi mentioned something about you covering his classes for the day, which is unusual.” After keeping his eyes closely on the raven haired male, Suga noticed a slip in his neutral expression and decided to push further. “Did something happen last night? I’m only asking because it seems like you were the only one that was with him.” 

The prodding tone he gave was suspicious, which Kageyama caught onto. He shifted in his chair, trying not to give away anything that would indicate that he knew something. “Um, nothing that raises any concern.” 

Unable to read the current look on the man’s face, Suga nodded and rose to his feet. “Uh huh. Well I’ll be getting out of your hair now. If you have any questions, need any help, or if you just need someone to talk to, I’m here.” 

He turned to leave, ready to report back to Daichi about his suspicions. Kageyama watched with the full intent of letting him go but he was also thinking if Suga could help with the weight he was currently carrying on his chest. No one else seemed to pick up on an issue and it felt like Suga was safe enough to open up to. Before he could think more on it, Kageyama grabbed Suga’s arm to bring him to halt. “Work-wise or personal?” 

“So something did happen with Hinata,” Suga hid his smile on the inside as he followed his coworker to their previous position. 

Kageyama leaned on the front of his desk, averting the hopeful look in Suga’s eyes. If he wasn’t careful, Suga could’ve manipulated him into telling his whole life story with that pressing stare. “I shouldn’t even be saying anything, since it goes against the rules that I’ve made for myself. Not to mention the previous events that occurred,” 

The VP simply shrugged. “Screw rules. What’s on your mind?” 

“I can’t really determine who’s wrong in this situation, so I’ve just been blaming myself. It’s not even a big deal when you look at it from a different perspective, except it is. I did something stupid.” 

Suga’s brows furrowed, “How stupid are we talking?” 

Kageyama fidgeted with his hands, stalling to try and find a way to word the situation. “I don’t make friends easily, let alone converse with people I’ve only known for two days. So how could I be stupid enough to seductively dance with someone I actually have to talk and work with, let alone the arousal I had because of it?” 

There was a small chuckle heard from Suga, even though he knew it wasn’t appropriate. “So that’s what you meant by personal.” 

He regretted his words, feeling that his professionalism had left the room. “I’m sorry, was that too much? I usually don’t have a filter when talking to people so-”

The same breathy chuckle was heard again, a little more softer this time. “No you’re fine. This is good— well, no those aren’t really the right words, given the situation but it’s great that you can trust me enough to talk about this. So. You and Hinata were seductively dancing? How bad was it?” 

He thought back to how easily Hinata was able to loosen up his hips and help him find a rhythm with his body. It took off any edge he was feeling that night, any anxiety that was preventing him from enjoying himself. “Do you know what swaying and body rolling is?”

Suga’s brows peaked and he blinked a few times. “Oh god. Okay. Um… what led to these actions?” 

“Well… I know I don’t know him as well as you do, but from my small interactions with him I could tell that Hinata was acting weird. It still amazes me how such a small body could intake such a large amount of alcohol.” Kageyama took a moment to shift his position. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed but Hinata has a sparkle in his eyes. It’s faint, but it’s there. Last night, that sparkle was completely gone.” 

“Huh… now that I think about it, I can totally see that. Something did feel off with Hinata yesterday when we were at the apartment, but I just thought it was because he was worn out. Maybe that explains the jacket over the crop top.” Suga’s back was lifted off of his chair, indicating how confused he was. 

“Wait, what was wrong with the jacket he had on? I mean sure, the black on black was a little much but-” 

“No it’s not that. He usually wears less. He’s all about body positivity and he shows his appreciation for that whenever he’s not here. I’m surprised he even wore that long of a crop top,” 

Kageyama’s mind wandered off to an idea of what Hinata would normally wear, the tight ballet attire or if not at school, exposed skin that he was sure he wouldn’t have been able to handle. He was tempted to explore a little last night when Hinata was slumped on his bathroom floor, but instead handed off his clothes to give him privacy. The thoughts of what would’ve happened if he had done things differently still pestered him, since it was obvious that Hinata was coming onto him earlier in the night. It was a chance that he passed up on to get some answers about his confusion. 

He just pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. “I see. You know, I never really pegged him as a person to care for many causes. It just seems like his brain is wired on one track sometimes.” 

“That’s what you usually think when meeting someone as difficult as Hinata on a first account. After working with him for so many years, and I don’t know if I should be telling you this, but he was finally able to peel back some of those traumatic layers, some walls that he had previously put up to protect himself.” Suga cleared his throat after that, reminiscing about something Kageyama had yet to understand. 

The little things he was learning about Hinata in this conversation was interesting to him. He thought of Hinata as a simple creature who had love and desire for one thing, kind of like how he was. Maybe that was the magic of said emotional walls that he put up. “Trauma? Are you sure we’re talking about the same person?” 

Suga nodded. “Believe it or not, the whole sunshine act is a facade.” 

Kageyama took that statement with him for the rest of the day. Suga had to leave shortly after that since kids started to fill the halls but it left unwanted questions lingering in Kageyama’s mind. There were still things he wanted to know about his coworker, he was like a book with a difficult message that took the act of discovering different hints in signs of a new chapter to truly interpret. He realized later on that Hinata was everything but simple and that he wanted to find out more. He wanted to be the one peeling back those chapters until he found the shocking conclusion. 

Stress was one way to put his day. Another word would be burden, simply because his responsibility burdened his thoughts and he was too busy to have a second to sort out his emotions. Complicated may have been the accurate assessment, if he were to truly dig into the situation and how exactly he was going to solve it. He worked up a plan on the drive back to his apartment, what he could say, even the timing, to mold a perfect conversation. There was time to consider what the responses would be but when that time came he was left blinking, realizing that he had yet to crack open that book. 

He subconsciously counted up to the 18th story once he was in view of his apartment building, a tradition he’d set for himself whenever he wasn’t in control of his mind. He was trying to find ways to distract himself, settling on the current luxury he was living in. A person who didn’t know him would’ve asked how he was able to afford an apartment downtown, one with a balcony that hung over the city, it was impossible for someone his age. The same conclusion would be drawn, that he’d inherited the money. What they never took a moment to think about was the fact that Kageyama used to be royalty in the orchestra world. A child prodigy that everyone important knew about, much like Hinata, he would later come to find out. 

His violin is what jump started the lavish life and he was thankful that his parents tucked away every penny he had until he’d grown into the adult mindset to be able to handle it. They never touched it, they have good paying jobs on their own and they weren’t the type of parents to let greed affect the loyalty of what they promised. He couldn’t have asked for a better pair of people to raise him because they took the time, despite not planning to ever have kids, to sculpt him into being a good person. 

Kageyama exhaled as he pushed his key into the doorknob, preparing himself for whatever scene was on the other side. Brown eyes spotted him immediately and he was greeted with a look of relief. “Oh thank god, you’re finally back. I thought I was going to have to walk home,” 

Hinata was still in the attire from this morning, the oversized graphic tee slipped off of one of his shoulders, exposing bare skin. A blush was proof that Kageyama noticed it, liked it, and hated that he liked it. He put his eyes to work by examining his apartment. “Why are you still in those clothes? I’m pretty sure yours are done by now.” 

Hinata tugged on the wide collar Kageyama’s shirt and shifted his crisscrossed position. “See, I thought about that but I was scared that you’d get mad at me for touching something. Everything about this place seems so precise, it’s kinda freaky.” 

“What’s wrong with wanting a little order in your home? It’s a normal thing,” He tossed his keys somewhere, having them land wherever they wanted to on his counter and shrugged off the light jacket he wore. The cool air of his apartment swiped at his skin, keeping him alert and focused. 

“Yes Kageyama, but this is borderline OCD. There isn’t a single speck of dust lying around here,” 

Kageyama just snorted. “I’m not kidding, I checked.” 

There was an opening to change the subject, which Kageyama played out perfectly. “What’d you do here all day?” 

Hinata only half smiled, realizing that his day wasn’t exciting as he played it out to be. “I had the idea of working out a few kinks of choreography but out of fear, I settled on the couch and let scripted TV keep me company.” 

“Hm.” 

“Also,” He picked up a handful of DVD cases, laying them out like playing cards and showing his hand. “Why do you have so many volumes of crime shows? Is this like an obsession of yours or something?” 

The music teacher held back a scowl as he scanned through the out of order DVD cases resting on his coffee table that he took hours to organize. “Not really. It’s a great occupation for one of those slow days and there’s nothing else that could occupy you. Slow days are all I have, so I decided to prepare for them.” 

“Oh cool,” Hinata replied, disregarding the last sentence. “I managed to get through two volumes of _Crimes inside the Courthouse_. It’s amazing how these people used negligence as their advantage to bend the rules. You’d think they’d be a little more enforcing with each other, considering their occupations. And don’t get me started on Delilah’s relationship with the bank teller, boy was he a hot piece of work.” 

The conversation fell off after that and silence was mostly being avoided by the stacking of DVD cases and more bills to sift through. After that was no longer an excuse, Hinata spoke up. “How were my students? I know that must’ve of been a handful to take over,” 

The subtle hint of a drop in the man’s tone caused Kageyama to look up. He saw inner conflict behind the once simple brown eyes and his mind swiftly went back to the conversation he had earlier with Suga. “It was really no problem at all. Yamaguchi-san insisted on taking most of your kids, so I really just had to watch over some quiet ones who sat in the back of my classroom.” 

“That’s good, although I’m sure he was surprised that I wasn’t there.” In his mind, Hinata concluded that Yamaguchi must’ve figured out something was wrong from his odd behavior and that he was definitely going to be questioned about it later. 

Hinata stood, gathering the stack of DVD cases that he just built and crouched down front of the TV stand. Kageyama just watched, partly making sure that they were placed in the correct order and partly staring at the hint of a tattoo at the top of Hinata’s shoulder width, followed by the outline of an indented spine, which he followed all the way down with his eyes. The DVD cases had in fact, not been put in the correct order but Kageyama was too focused on thinking about tracing that spine, with fingers and a tongue. He’ll just have to organize later on. 

He used his own voice to distract himself, playing his cards right so the man would turn around. “Ready to go? I’m sure your roommate is wondering where you are right now,” 

His gamble worked in favor, Hinata stood and arched forward to stretch. “Yep. I’m already expecting for there to be like a dozen messages from her,” He paused, looking left and right for dramatic effect. “Where is my phone anyway?” 

Kageyama remembers setting his phone down somewhere in the bathroom after it’d been handed to him by drunk Hinata. “ _A hot man like you is taking care of me, huh? Put your number in so I can call in these services more often_ ” Is what was spoken and a blushing Kageyama placed the phone on the sink. “It’s in the bathroom, I think.” 

“Okay, I’ll find my way there. Where’s your laundry room so I can get dressed as well?” Kageyama pointed to the hall on the right and shortly after Hinata disappeared behind that wall. Within the few minutes that he was gone, Kageyama tried to guess what the tattoo on his back was. He came up short only because he still didn’t know enough about Hinata to give him clues. 

The orange haired male greeted him again with the loose black crop top from the night before and neatly folded clothes in his hand. Kageyama smirked, “For some reason, I don’t why, I thought you were incapable of folding. Or any chores, for that matter.” 

Kageyama took a jab to the arm and a scowl. “I’m not completely incompetent, for your information. I can pick up my own slack,” 

The entire ride down the elevator, Hinata expressed how amazing he thought the apartment complex was. He never once asked how Kageyama could afford it. That was a first. He was even more amazed, even concerned, once they reached Kageyama’s car. “There isn’t a single crumb of anything in here! Do you just go through with a vacuum everyday?!” 

“Maybe,” Kageyama shrugged, undermining it as a normality. 

“You seriously have no life.” 

A huff. “I-I have a life! I bet I even have more of a life than you!” 

“Liar,” Hinata turned his body to the window, admiring the city lights of downtown. “I’m taking you out next weekend. Maybe to the mall. That way I can get you a new wardrobe and there we could talk about our plans for the upcoming show. Schedules and stuff,” 

_What’s sexual about shopping for clothes?_ , he thought. “I’m not opposed to that idea. But I’m not wearing anything that shows skin.” 

“Ugh, you’re no fun.” 

The car ride was about fifteen minutes, to both of their surprises. Kageyama observed the rows of maisonette apartments trying to guess which one was his coworker’s. “This is me.” He pointed to the one on the immediate left. 

There were three or four concrete stairs leading up to a black patio. The white pillars complimented the courtyard blend of bricks, along with the black shutters surrounding the window on the second floor. It was really nice. Hinata spoke up a little after watching the music teacher for a few minutes, “It’s nothing compared to that beautiful condo you live in, but it’s what Yachi and I call home.” 

That’s where Hinata was wrong. Kageyama’s apartment was nice, luxury wise, but it felt lonely and muted. The apartment he was staring at felt homey, even without stepping inside. “I’d have to disagree with you on that,” 

Hinata patted his jeans for his keys while he shivered. “Now that I think about it, I remember having a jacket with me last night. Do you remember what I did with it?” 

The only thing Kageyama could really remember was the fact that he was surprised at how defined Hinata’s arms were and how long he was staring at them. Of course, he wasn’t going to say that out loud. “Um, not sure. Maybe you left it in your chair at the bar,” 

“Hm.” On the other side of the door was a staircase on the left side of the hall, the other side leading to the rest of the first floor. The half kitchen and living room were down that hall where the two were greeted by a savory aroma. 

“Hinata, is that you?” Yachi was in front of the stove, stirring marinara sauce while the pasta in the pot on her right side was cooking. A small gasp was heard from her as she dropped the large wooden spoon into the pot, “Where have you been? You weren’t at work and you weren’t answering any of my texts! I thought you got kidnapped or were killed! I thought I told you-” 

Chuckling may have been inappropriate in this situation, but Hinata did it anyway. “Yachi, relax. Take a deep breath. I was at Kageyama’s for the day.” 

Eyebrows were raised and as a reflex, Yachi swatted her roommate’s arm. “You had sex with him?! Hinata, how stupid can you be? I thought you’d know-” 

Hinata waved his arms in front of him, a light blush dusted his cheeks at the insinuation. “No! No no no! I just had a really bad hangover and Kageyama offered to take over my classes. I’m not _that_ stupid, trust me.” 

After forgetting that he was in the room, Yachi turned to the tall fidgeting man. “I hope you took good care of him. Anyway, I have some work to do with Kiyoko-san, so could you take over making the spaghetti?” 

She blushed at her superior’s name once it was spoken, which only raised suspicion. “Kiyoko-san? What kind of work?” 

Frantically, Yachi matched Hinata’s movements from before. “U-Uh, nothing major! W-We’re just working on files and stuff!” 

Hinata would let the explanation slide for now, eyeing her as she nervously smiled. “Okay, then.” 

He stole the apron that was previously tied around Yachi’s waist and stepped into the kitchen. Their guest awkwardly hugged the wall, which Hinata only chuckled at. “Have a seat.” 

Kageyama took the stool on the other side of the counter, even though he thought that leaving would be the better choice in this situation. He watched, quietly admiring the way Hinata knew his way around the kitchen. He was grabbing a mix of spices, stirring the sauce, and watching the pasta simultaneously, working swiftly which is an assessment you wouldn’t get after only meeting him once. After straining the pasta and mixing in with the finished marinara sauce, he finally looked up at his house guest. “Finito! I bet you didn’t know I could cook, right?” 

Kageyama shrugged, “It’s an easy task once you get the hang of it.” 

Hinata huffed, taking the small hand towel from his shoulder and wiping beads of sweat from his forehead. “Oh, shut up. You can’t give me one compliment?” 

“It’s a simple thing that a lot of people can do. I don’t think the bare minimum should be complimented,” 

“Says the guy who literally has nothing in his pantry.” After a little argument with himself, Hinata made an offer. “You should stay for dinner, it looks like Yachi started making too much for just the two of us.” 

“I-I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He was already pushing boundaries by staying longer than he should, staying for dinner would just make things worse. 

Despite that, his coworker was frustrated. “Oh come on, bakayama! You came all this way and by the looks of your fridge you’d probably end up eating yogurt for dinner. You know spaghetti trumps yogurt. Am I really that bad?” 

All Kageyama could do was scratch the back of his neck. “It’s not that, it’s just…” He let the sentence die off, knowing that he couldn’t really say much. 

“Look. I know why you’re all anxious right now and I get it. I want to be very clear that nothing is going to happen between us. My life is already complicated, the last thing I want is for work to be complicated as well. We’re friends, okay?” 

He didn’t know if it was evident, but Kageyama relaxed once he realized that they were on the same page. If not, he’d have to get rid of the idea of him and Hinata actually having a good friendship. A first real friendship, anyway. “Yeah, okay.” Now that they established that they were friends, maybe he’d be able to get out of dancing. “Does this mean that we’re not doing that pact thing anymore? I mean, there’s really no point.” 

“Haha nice try. I still want to get a kick out of seeing your stiff ass attempt a pirouette.” 

Grabbing the towel that was used earlier, Kageyama chucks it at the laughing cook. “I am not stiff.” 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will definitely be auditions and dance lessons. Yes, there will be tights involved. Maybe i'll incorporate their mall visit too. Cheers


	5. Cinnamon Guy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Friday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, I realized how depressing i've made this chapter and I didn't know I was doing that so much. After fully planning out this book I also realized that those little depressing moments may be in almost every chapter only because of Hinata and his past. That was never really my intention, honestly, and if that's not your forte I apologize. Anyways other than that enjoy.

“Now… open!” Hinata removed the hands that covered Kageyama’s eyes. The taller man sucked his teeth as he rose to his height. “I could’ve closed my own eyes, you know. That way, my thighs wouldn’t be _burning_ right now.”

Hinata palmed the broad muscular back in front of him, pushing it inside the double doors of the auditorium. “Stop being so grouchy and look!” 

Buzzing with excitement, despite the grogginess of the early morning, Hinata clapped his hands together as danced over to the stage's control panel. He pushed up every other knob, as Kinoshita explained to him the night before. After plastering a giant smile on his face, Hinata turned his back to the control panel to catch Kageyama’s reaction. He was quietly hoping for a smile, a gasp, or anything other than the usual scowl. Instead, slitted eyes kept their glare on him. “This is just a regular auditorium. What’s so special about this?” 

His smile dropped a little. “You are so helpless.” 

Kageyama shrugged, sweeping the auditorium once more to see if he missed anything. “What? I’ve seen auditoriums before. This one is really nice, sure, but I don’t see why you’re getting so-”

The dance teacher leapt forward and placed his hand over the rapidly moving lips and cleared his throat, subtly smirking at the muffled voice. He pointed towards the beautiful stage, “Shut up and _look_.” 

After smacking the small hand away, Kageyama turned about-face toward the glowing stage. His shoulders relaxed at the sight, brows raising as the lights bounced off of his blueberry orbs. There were two soft blue beams on the outer edges of the stage, two baby pink hues on the inner side, one purple beam in the middle, and a hint of yellow behind the silhouette. They were all pointed towards the center of the stage, blended to the right exposure no to avoid overlapping. “Oh wow…” 

“Isn’t it amazing?” Hinata’s eyes were trained on the stage as he grabbed on the tall pair of shoulders as a brace. He hopped up, unable to contain his excitement, and landed with his legs on either side of the muscled torso. Kageyama stumbled at the added weight on his back and came close to crashing into a row of chairs. His hands flew out to brace himself as he tried to draw conclusions on what just occurred. He sucked in a breath once getting the mental picture of how the two looked and ignored the blush that was threatening to appear. “Will you get off of me, dumbass?” 

He leaned forward, gripping Kageyama’s shoulders as a brace. He met with the glaring eyes, returning them with an innocent smirk. “Carry me to the stage and I will.” 

Pushing off of the chair, Kageyama started trotting down a random aisle. “Fine.” 

Hinata beamed, waving his hands up in the air, imitating what people do on rollercoasters. He couldn’t really figure out what caused this surge of excitement, even when he woke up he was buzzing. Maybe it was because Kageyama was warming up to him so quickly, he didn’t know. All he can do is enjoy it while it lasts. This kind of joy was rare for him. 

Hinata leaned forward, hooking his arms around Kageyama’s neck for stability once the steps were in view. His chest was pressed against his muscular back and he used that warmth to try and calm his heart rate. He buried his face into the open crook of the man’s neck as they waddled over to center stage. His neck was soft and warm, a surprise compared to his calloused fingers. Hinata figured it was the type of fingers most musicians had, the stereotype of them dedicating their lives to music without any regard for other things. Although the stereotype was initially shut down once Hinata examined the organization of his living space, it still came as a shock to feel his nose swipe against such sweet skin. 

“As you can see, we’re on the stage and my piggyback services have expired. Get off,” 

No audible response was given and instead the dance teacher inhaled deeply. A nice combination of scents filled his nose and they were strong, almost like he could taste it. His mind went to figuring out what it was. “Hm. You kinda smell like sandalwood and…” he slid off of the tall back, “apples?” 

“Is there something wrong with smelling like sandalwood and apples?” 

Hinata paused for a second, partly for dramatic effect and partly for contemplating whether or not he should share his thoughts out loud. “No, it’s a nice smell. I just had this little headcanon where you smelled like cinnamon. You look like a cinnamon guy,” 

Kageyama tilted his head, leaving his lips parted a little to project his tongue clicking. “How do I _look_ like a cinnamon guy?” 

“I don’t know! You just do!” Hinata abandoned the conversation and started to pace around the edge of the stage. The overhead lights changed to one green, a dark forest green. It played well with the first scene of the ballet, which centered around the prince getting lost. The themes centered around the lights, they were the key to each setting, each position, and the timing was everything. 

“Kageyama,” Hinata left his name in the air while he walked to different points on the stage. He wanted to get his attention so he could see what he was doing, where he was placing my foot, and the subtle movements he was making with my arms. He was mapping out the entire ballet, imagining each turn, each foot placement, each position. It was beautiful in his mind. It was a perfect silhouette, one that could only be complete with the rich sounds of an orchestra. “You can compose, right?” 

“Of course I can. Why?” 

“Um…” He needed an entire catalog for the ballet, since the story was practically his own. They only had a few months before the first show and having an entire original catalog by then would be impossible. But, for his vision to work, he had to ask anyway. “Now, I know you are a very capable man, which is why I’m asking. I also apologize for springing this on you so late, that wasn’t my intention but it kind of just happened that way and-“ 

“Spit it out.” 

“Okay, here goes…” Hinata tried a calm approach, knowing that an energetic one would anger the already irritated expression. “So. Kageyama… Kags- can I call you Kags?” 

“No.” 

“Alrighty then! Kageyama, we’ve known each other for what like five days now? I think that's a long enough period to ask for a favor, right?” The irritated expression was slowly, but surely dropping into a scowl.

“Not really.” 

“Well… you and me are different. I cooked you dinner, I taught you some _very_ nice moves, and-” 

“What’s your point?”

_There’s no point in dancing around it..._

“I need you to compose a 15-20 song catalog for Cinderella.” Hinata squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the yelling that was about to occur. 

There was unusual silence, too long of a silence for it to be normal. Hinata, against all bets, decided to open his eyes to see what was happening. When Kageyama opened his mouth to speak, no words came out, and his brows were twitching. This was definitely a rare sight of the orchestra teacher. He looked to the ceiling then back down at Hinata. “Are you crazy?!” 

Immediately, words started to fall out of the dancer’s mouth. “I know, it sounds terrible. But please! I have this vision and I want it to be perfect! I need one more piece and you’re it! You’re the thing-- err person I need! Please, I promise I won’t ask for anything else. Plus, it’s Friday! Everything is happy on Friday, everyone is cool on Friday! Everyone does favors on a Friday!” 

He continued on with his ramblings, only because the look on Kageyama’s face wasn’t changing. He ran half the distance between them and slid on his knees the other half, halting right in front of the intimidating glare. It was quite dramatic, even for him, but he was desperate. He interlaced his fingers and extended his arms upward. “Please! I will do anything for you!” 

More silence, more imaginary crickets chirping. Hinata let go of the breath he was holding in, hoping it would calm the pounding in his heart. He separated his fingers and grabbed onto the man’s legs, his palms resting on his lower thighs. He unintentionally gave them a squeeze and lifted his head, catching the intense blueberry orbs. “You’re my only hope.” 

The overhead lights faded into the simple white, exposing the blush that darkly displayed on Kageyama’s cheeks. “You’re a dumbass, you know that? You don’t have to be so damn dramatic.” 

“Is that... a yes, my dearest Kageyama?” This time, his tone was a little less confident. Any more pressuring would just lead to a big fat no. 

The man sighed, already knowing his answer but using his pride to hold out a little longer. Big brown puppy dog eyes were staring at him, sharing both an innocent and dangerous look at the same time. It was overwhelming and he felt like he was about to glitch out and overload. “Fine, but you’re helping me. Although I hate to admit it, I can’t do something like that by myself.” 

Hinata squealed, rising to his feet as he did so. “Thank you! I’m not really good with music, so I don’t know if I’d be of much help.” 

“That’s fine. All I need is another set of ears,” 

He smiled as he jumped off of the stage, ignoring the prickly pain in his feet as he started skipping through an isle. “You’re awesome, Kageyama! And keep in mind, it’s Friday! So wipe that frown off of your face!” 

Hinata’s next stop was Yamaguchi’s classroom. The last time they talked was that morning in the beanstalk’s class and he felt bad for not talking to him for the past two days. He wanted to avoid the look that Yachi gave him when he told her what happened, but ignoring him just wasn’t the way to go. It was Yams, after all. He wasn’t much of a judgemental person anyway. 

Yamaguchi was at his desk shuffling through graded homework and smiling at his kids’ efforts. Hinata stood at the door frame, capturing the nice image before he went in and ruined it. “Hey stranger.” 

He didn’t bother to look up, knowing who it was just by the voice. “Hm. There must be a ghost at my door. How bizarre,” 

“Yams, come on.” He kept his head down, using the clicking of his pen as a distraction. Hinata made his way over to his desk, training his face to sport an ‘i’m sorry’ expression. “I should’ve at least called you, I know.” 

“Mhm,” Yamaguchi kept his eyes on his desk, “So you knew that and yet you still didn’t bother to pick up a phone. Again, how _bizarre_.” 

“You’re seriously mad at me?” He snapped his head up at the question, eyes squinting. “Two days, Hinata. You were in this building for one of those two days and I still never laid eyes on that orange hair of yours. Explain,” 

“On Tuesday at the club I danced with Kageyama trying to seduce him and completely ignored the three drink rule. You should’ve seen my tab,” Yamaguchi’s eyes enlarged and his once pursed lips dropped open. His brows created a V shape above his eyes, a look that Hinata found scary. He knew this would happen though, so all he could do was blink. “The reason why I didn’t see for two days is because of that face you have right now,” 

Yamaguchi had yet to say anything, which Hinata had anticipated. He exhaled, hopping onto one of the nearest desks. Incoherent sounds came out of Yamaguchi’s mouth after a minute of silence before he finally spoke, “I-I’m sorry Hinata but you can’t just spring that on me without any warning. What happened to _letting someone come to you_?” 

He shook his head, “I don’t know. I wasn’t planning on doing anything like that but then my mother called and-”

“Your mother called?” Yamaguchi knew of the situation, he’d seen the aftermath of it before and it caused him to shift uncomfortably in his seat. He cleared his throat, hoping that his movements weren’t too noticeable, “Did you tell Yachi about any of this?” 

“I didn’t get a chance to. She was yelling at me for not coming home for almost 24 hours.” That was partly true. He also wanted to avoid the fact that she would’ve given him the same sympathetic smile, the ‘feel bad’ eyes that she always had when something involving his mother happened. “Maybe my mom is what triggered me to act so crazily. It hasn’t been the first time,” 

Yamaguchi took a minute, processing the information and figuring out how he was going to word his next question. “W-Was it always sexual activity?” 

“Ha. Um,” It always has been. Every time his mother laid hands on him or called him when she was drunk, his libido seemed to spike, and his mind became foggier. Though, he remembered all of it. Every tongue that was on his body, every hickey he gave and received, the small aching pain in his back the morning after, those memories came up in unwanted hours. “I’m not proud of it. I wake up that next morning after doing something stupid, bruises from my mother and bite marks or hickeys from some random guy. I would get into my car and cry, feeling disgusted to be in my own skin.” 

Hinata’s voice broke off, creating a crack on the last note. All noise in the room was swallowed once tears started plopping onto his lap. He went to wipe the away when he felt a blockage. Yamaguchi’s hold was tight, warm, the comfort that he truly needed. Still, he cringed, wanted to pull away and laugh the entire thing off. His face warmed the more angry he became at himself, the quiet sob that let only added salt to the wound.

He hated how fast his tears came. He spent years training himself to stuff down every ounce of negative emotion he had and making sure that the people he were close with never got to see that side. His brain was always taught to think that crying was unnecessary and fighting through the pain, no matter how much it hurt, was the solution. It worked when he was a child, when he was still naive to what real pain was. His teen years were a rude awakening, especially when he found out that slapping, punching, and kicking were _not_ acts out of love. He had one stable pillar left at that time. One that he could lean on when there was only one problem he needed to deal with. When the physical and mental pain doubled, attacking him from two angles, that last standing pillar was crushed. 

With that in mind, Hinata broke away from the hug. If he sat here any longer he’d be crying for hours. There was weight in the bottom of his heart and he was going to have to deal with that for the rest of the day, smiling through it all. One day that facade was going to whither down into nothing and he was going to end up emotionless like his mother, the one thing he wants to avoid. “I’ll, uh, see you at lunch Yams.” 

“Hinata-” He threw his hand up, saying goodbye and cutting off that sentence. He dragged his feet to the door, feeling that pep he had a few minutes ago deteriorate. 

His face was kept neutral as he stepped into his studio. It was all he could muster up at the time. His first classes of the day, if he remembered his schedule correctly, was with his rather interesting second years. Emiko was the first to enter the class, smiling ear to ear with excitement. 

“Hinata, thank god you’re back! I was sad that you weren’t in on Wednesday and we got stuck with that mean looking music teacher. You know, he kind of reminds me of Aimi. Anyway, how has your day been?” She slides her backpack off of her shoulders and sits criss crossed on the black floor. 

“Um, great actually. I’ve set everything up for auditions and now all I need is to review the audition choreography with this class. Are you excited for Cinderella?” 

Emiko looked down at her feet, “I wanted to aim for Cinderella but I heard Aimi talking about that role. Maybe I’ll just shoot for Anastasia or something,” 

Hinata’s brows furrowed, “What are you talking about?” 

It was Emiko’s turn to fix her brows in confusion, “One of the evil stepsisters. They seem like a simpler role than-” 

“I get that much,” Hinata joined her on the floor, mimicking her position. “But what I don’t get is why you’re auditioning for a role that you aren’t interested in just because someone else already has their eye on that role? That makes no sense to me,” 

Her hands squeeze together, making her knuckles gradually turn white. “Aimi is amazing. She’s got a lot more talent than I ever could. It just makes sense,” 

Hinata took a moment, not only to process what he heard but to figure out his words.“I’m about to get really unprofessional so excuse my language.” Emiko cocks up another eyebrow, pushing him to continue. “That is absolute _bullshit_. To hell with what you think ‘makes sense’. At the end of the day, I’m the one who’s judging the auditions and I’d be incredibly mad if a person was just given a role knowing that someone like you didn’t try for it at all. That attitude will get you nowhere in the ballet industry. Don’t sell yourself so short,”

Emiko’s eyes had little hope, but it was there. They were basically mirror images of the ones Hinata used to have at that age and the ambition was the same too. The only difference was the push towards greatness. They came from different origins and he was envious of that. 

By the end of the day, Hinata felt himself gain a little of the confidence he had that morning. It was enough for him to plaster on a smile for auditions. There was no doubt that he was excited about the individual talent but he was also a little worried about the fact that these next few months will be incredibly stressful. Usually he had a remedy for that, one that eventually caused too many problems. He was on his own this year. 

“Alright guys,” He looked between the panel of judges, one with a scowl, one with a blonde side ponytail, and two others with goofy smiles. “I want you to be as critical as possible but keep in mind that these are still children. No matter how bad they are, you put on a brave face and tell them that they did well. It saves them from the trauma, trust me.” 

“Wait so,” Tanaka and Noya shared a look, “we can’t yell at them and tell them that they suck?” 

“What? No. Yachi and I will really be the ones judging here, you three are just here for suggestions.” The blonde smiled at that.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Tanaka pouted.

“Fun? This isn’t fun!” Hinata slammed his hand on the table with a little playful intent behind it. “This is a cutthroat competition. I need the best of the best to crush the souls of others and to win the grant. What I don’t need is for you and Nishinoya to _screw around_.” 

Kageyama, Tanaka, and Nishinoya all looked at the man with wide eyes. They were all secretly passing looks with each other to see which one of them was going to say something. The orchestra teacher was the first to acknowledge him as he stood up and reached over the table to grab his head. “Hinata, these are literally children in a school funded recital.” 

Hinata winced, smacking the large hand away as he did so. “I know that but I really, really, really want to win this year! Do you know what the grant is for, Kageyama?”

“The school..?” 

“Yes but more specifically for new instruments!” The reaction Kageyama gave was anticlimactic, just a simple nod. Hinata went on anyway, “Maeko and I were so close these past few years but it was always one school that was just slightly better than us. This year will be different,” 

“Who’s Maeko?” 

Tanaka started rocking back and forth in his chair, balancing on the last two legs. “She’s like one of the most hottest teachers this school has ever had, besides the _amazing_ Kiyoko. She quit last semester and you’re the one who replaced her.” 

“Really?” Noya sat crisscrossed on the wobbly table, “I think Maeko and Kiyoko are pretty much tied.” 

Tanaka glared at his best friend, rather the bleached tuft of hair that laid on his forehead. “You did _not_ just say that.” 

“Wait… Kiyoko? I don’t get it,” Kageyama regressed his oncoming shrug once he felt two glares on him. He suddenly felt small in his chair, both of their pointed stares left him frozen in his place. 

Tanaka opened his mouth to speak when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Yachi cupped his ear, whispering a few incoherent words. She was choosing her words carefully, not only to tame the outburst that was about to occur but also in the best interest of the questioning gay. With what she gave, Tanaka put two and two together. “Oh… oh?... Oh!” 

He turned back to the intimidated raven head, eyes squinting. “I guess I can let you off the hook for saying such an absurdity.” 

“What? Just like that? What did she tell you?” Nishinoya looked between the three faces, each sporting a different emotion. 

Tanaka passed along the message, shifting his brows to raise concern. He watched as Nishinoya re-enacted his reaction. “Oh… oh?... Oh!” 

Nishinoya then turned to Kageyama, a questionable smirk molded onto his lips. “Kageyama, I had no idea. I guess it kind of makes sense, given where your hands were on Tuesday but if you need anyone to talk to, your superior is always here.” 

“What are you-“ 

“Hinata!” Yamaguchi appeared from behind one of the stage’s curtains, clipboard in hand. “Everything is ready. I told the first person that the music will start in five minutes.” 

The dance teacher gave a quick thumbs up before he motioned for Yamaguchi to join them. “Okay, guys this is it. Remember, these are children so any rude comments will be kept to yourself. I do not want another parent complaining to me that someone said their kid was about as graceful as a _duck_.”

Hinata threw a glance at Tanaka, who only shrugged. “I was just saving anyone else from seeing that god awful performance. I didn’t know the brat would be sensitive about it,”

Everyone turned to the gym teacher. He shrugged once again at his words, mindlessly chewing on a piece of gum. Yamaguchi decided to ask the most obvious question. “How did you even become a teacher?” 

“Well _Tadashi_ , since you asked, I became a teacher with one goal...” He took a pause as a grin etched onto his lips. “To find and marry a hot single milf.” 

Yamaguchi, along with the entire panel, made a face of disgust. “Why did I even ask?” 

Kiyoko peaked her head from behind the curtain this time, giving a thumbs up to the technical crew. “Cue the music in please!” 

“Who’s first?” Hinata asked as he slid into his seat. He looked down at his list, answering his own question and looked at the stage. “Alright Haruki, show us what you got.” 

Haruki walked onto the stage with a slouched posture and he dragged his feet as much as his shoes would allow. Hinata usually saw this in class and although there wasn’t much of an effort when he was teaching the audition choreography, he noticed the movements of a hidden perfectionist. You could see the steady rise and fall of his chest as he positioned himself into attitude with one arm up, one to the side, and his right leg towards the back. 

Original music from Cinderella was cued in and Haruki started with adagio, controlling where his arms went, their exact speed, his balance, and his expression. He made avant steps while maintaining the slow tempo, making eye contact with the panel simultaneously. He moved gracefully, there was no other way to put it. His entire soul looked like it was poured into each tiny movement, not a mistake in sight. 

The song suddenly picked up and the trickiest part of the second would be that transition. It was executed with a leap, almost exactly as Hinata taught it. He could feel himself on the edge of his seat as he watched Haruki dance, almost as if he didn’t know what he was going to do next. There were words behind his movements, they weren’t being shouted but they were spoken with a certain tone. A grand jete was next, one that was hard to nail. Hinata purposely put that in the choreography to test his students. He had no intention of judging off of the accuracy of it, he wanted to see which ones would actually push themselves. 

Haruki executed it well and with a few more steps, he ended the performance in the attitude he started in. Hinata gasped, looking to Yachi who had the same dazzle in her eyes as he did. “Thank you, Haruki. That was great,” 

Haruki shrugged, “Cool.” 

He walked off the stage just as he came in. It was an interesting personality to have as a dancer as Hinata examined the first day he met him. Haruki shrugged and looked over everything like he simply didn’t care, except for when it came to dancing. He was elegant, poise, and every other adjective you could think of. Maybe the whole attitude was just an act. 

A few more students went, each performance was nice but none have yet to top the first one. The audition choreography was done well, sure, but it was something that separated their performances from Haruki’s. There was potential but there wasn’t anything yet to be outstanding. 

Aimi walked onto the stage next, back straight and legs pointed as she stopped on the marked X. As soon as she moved, the mood changed. Her movements were different from Haruki’s but they were equally exquisite. The way her arms formed and the way her legs extended matched with the music perfectly, almost as if she composed it herself. This kind of dancing was almost unseen in junior high students, let alone high school students. Hinata could attest to this, since he’s only seen this level of mastery in the big leagues. He looked to his judging partner, whose eyes were glued to the stage, flickering between the elegant silhouette. 

Small gasps were heard from the panel as the song came to an end and silence placed a gap between her performance and any feedback. Yamaguchi was the one to finally speak up, clearing his throat so he could infiltrate the thick atmosphere. “Thank you, Aimi.” 

She nodded, walking off the stage nonchalantly as if her performance was a mere practice. Hinata, although he was ashamed to admit it, felt a ping in his heart. It was a mixture of jealousy and pride, just seeing these kids’ performances challenged him for some reason. This was a competition after all but he was going to have to separate the show and his personal vendettas. 

“Hinata, what the hell are you doing with these kids?” Tanaka asked, wearing a matching expression with the other judges. Each of their faces were twisted, slumped with trying to analyze what they just saw. 

Hinata held onto the small gap of silence, wondering if he actually did anything to influence these kids. It wasn’t really possible considering the time frame. He’d like to think that his job wasn’t a joke. “I didn’t do anything much, this was all them.” 

“Hey, Hinata?” Yachi leaned over the table, twisting small golden locks. She ran her index along Hinata’s jawline, flicking his head up once she reached his chin. “What’s with the face?” 

“Nothing. I’m just thinking about how these auditions remind me of the old competition days, don’t you think?” She tilted her head back, nodding as a smirk formed. “You’re right.” 

They spent about a minute holding each other’s stares, gaping at each other. Their weird dynamic caught wind of the people around them and of course, Yamaguchi was the first to ask. “Is this some sort of dancer thing that we don’t know about?” 

“I guess you can say that,” Hinata leaned back in his seat, grabbing the attention of everyone at the table. “It’s this thing where dancers see other dancers perform amazingly and we kind of all get this feeling that makes us want to absolutely trample their performance.” 

Their disturbed faces said it all. The only person who could really get a sense of understanding was Kageyama, a performer. The intimidation of watching an incredible performance has been a sense of motivation and people looking from the outside in wouldn't know of the feeling performers would let guide them. “Who’s next?” 

The empty stage, absent of any people, dawned on Hinata. “I think it’s Emiko. I’m kind of nervous to see her performance though,” 

“Is she that second year who idolizes you?” 

Hinata only nodded since their conversation from earlier was still gnawing at him. She lacked the entirety of confidence, she lacked any signs of a stable pillar. All of that could be assessed through her eyes. Behind her eyes were a dream and a long road of disappointment, failure that seemed inevitable. 

When she walked onto the stage, her posture embodies everything. Hinata pressed his bands together, “Show me what you got, Emiko. Don’t fall under the pressure,” 

She was shaking, it was obvious from the panel’s view point. Her adagio was a bit off beat when the music started but her movements were still accurate. She relaxed once the tempo picked up and she kept her feet light. She missed a few steps, Hinata only wished that they weren’t too noticeable to her as it was to him. 

By the end of the performance, her confidence had been shaken. She flubbed the grand jete, which threw the rest of her performance off course. Hinata sighed once her wobbly legs carried her off the stage. He wanted to be biased, he had the urge, but doing that would just rob her or anyone else who was more capable. Times like these is when he hated his job. 

“Is that everyone?” He asked, skimming through his list one last time. He blinked at Emiko’s name as his mind created a clear image of what she was doing backstage. He had those days, he remembered those days vividly. He wanted to do something, to at least say something to her but doing that would only make things worse. 

After announcing to everyone that the cast would be posted tomorrow afternoon, Hinata slipped into his studio to change into something more comfortable. He settled on the drop armhole tank top he stocked away at the beginning of the week and yoga pants. 

He sat, back leaned against the large mirror and went through ideas of how he could introduce the world of dance to Kageyama. His first experience with ballet was at the age of 4 when he was taken to see his mother perform, that is, before her injury. He was intrigued, curious as to how bodies could move in such a strangely elegant way. 

He figured that a duet would be the way to get the full experience. He’d pick a slow song, for example the song that played through the speakers of that bar, and maybe incorporate easy movements that wouldn’t be hard to follow. His eyes closed as he started to form images in his head, possible moves he could replicate with a partner. He sunk within himself, letting his mind watch the movie it created to pass time. 

He wasn’t paying attention to his breathing, so when he heard footsteps, he let go of a breath he didn’t know he was holding. His eyes opened to a pair of long legs, familiar ones that eventually lead to a fixated scowl. “Hey.” 

“Hey.” Hinata briefly smiled as he rose to his feet. Again, it was all he could really muster up. 

“Did I interrupt your sleep or something?” 

He shook his head as he stretched his arms above his head, “No, I was just thinking. Are you ready to get started?” 

“I guess.” Kageyama gave his usual shrug. He stood awkwardly, crossing his arms in his t-shirt and jeans glory. 

Hinata frowned at the stiff denim, “Jeans, Kageyama? You can’t dance in jeans.” 

“Well how was I supposed to know?” He turned to the mirror, frowning as he tugged at the denim in an attempt to stretch out the material. He eventually clicked his tongue out of frustration once the resistant pants hung low on his waist. 

“Do you have any other clothes with you?” 

Kageyama pondered on the question for a minute before snapping his fingers, “Will gym shorts work?” 

After a nod of approval, Kageyama dashed off to his car. Hinata, who’s mind was clouded, turned on a random song on his playlist. He felt his feet move, carrying him across the floor. The only thing he could see was his reflection in the large mirror, the blurred after images of his body as he moved. He stopped for a split second, looking at himself before running his hands up and down his torso, hearing the words “I’m hot” play in his head in a series of beats. He moved his hips in a circular motion, closing his eyes before he dropped to his knees. He kept his eyes shut tight as he heard the words “disgusting”, “whore”, words that have been shoved down his throat. He held onto the blackness for a moment, the last bit of innocence that could deteriorate over time if he wasn’t careful. On the last of a four count, his eyes sprung open and he examined every quarter inch of his face, searching for any type of beauty that he could admire. Silently, he sucked in a breath when his search was inconclusive. Deep down he knew that his true vision was shielded by someone else’s words, someone else’s insecurities and that was only confirmed when he didn’t recognize the hand that he placed on the reflective glass. He felt transparent through this perspective and his past played like a movie behind his eyes. It was a vulnerable state, one that he always hated throughout his life because he spent time convincing himself that what he was told had the intention of purposely tearing him down, how those words were laced with insecurities. Somehow the mirror always told a different story. 

When Kageyama returned, he avoided the mirror and wore the usual plastic smile. “Are you ready?” 

Kageyama nodded as he placed his belongings in a corner, “How is this thing going to work?” 

“To be honest with you, I don’t know. My approach is to teach you a duet. We’re not going to perform it for anyone in particular, the feeling of nailing a choreography is just enough.” 

The orchestra teacher agreed, even as his face displayed his confusion. “How is that going to help me understand dance?” 

Hinata grabbed Kageyama’s arms, pulling him to the center of the studio. He placed his index fingers on the taller male’s temples, “It’s all in here,” He moved his finger down to the man’s chest, “and here. It’s up to how you want to look at this experience. “ 

His confusion was still there, “How do you look at it?”

Hinata could only chuckle at the cute face. “You ask a lot of questions for someone who’s so assertive of himself. You have to be able to _feel_ it.” An idea popped into the dancer’s head, “Here, I’ll show you.” 

Hinata skipped over to the last place he set his phone down and went through his playlist. He came across Sway, the version by Rosemary Clooney. A smirk formed on his lips as he met the gaze of his friend. Kageyama’s brow peaked as Hinata set his phone with sudden determination. Hinata took a deep breath, his usual ritual to get into the mood, as he positioned his feet. The music started and Hinata shimmied his shoulders to the beat as he leaned forward. 

He nodded his head at the sound of a cow bell before repeating the shimmy. He swayed his hips to accent the brief moments of trumpets sounding, halting once he heard the cowbells. “ _When marimba rhythm starts to play_ ,” 

He did a two-step salsa over to his partner, making sure that his eyes were locked with his. “ _Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore_ ,” He mouthed the words ‘trust me’ to the stiff standing partner as he turned around and placed his hands on the Kageyama’s torso, slowly sliding down the other man's body as he did so. 

He popped up and turned in one motion, placing hands on Kageyama’s hips once more. “Now watch me.” 

“ _Like a flower bending in the breeze_ ,” He stepped back first, rolling his hips back, forth, and side to side simultaneously. He continued the simple two step dance with the added movements, guiding Kageyama’s hips for a few seconds. “You got it?” 

Kageyama nodded as his hips slowly started to loosen up. Hinata then guided his partner’s right hand to the small of his back and intertwined his fingers with the other as he extended his arm. 

“Do you know how to dip people?” They flowed through the music and they were catching a nice rhythm with ease. Kageyama tilted his head a little at the question, looking to the side as if the answer was in the corner somewhere. “I’ve done it like once or twice.” 

“Okay good,” Hinata already had an image of the moves he was going to do next, so he nodded to himself. “When I give the signal, you dip me and loosen up your right hand.” 

“ _Only you have that magic technique_ ,” Hinata sashayed to the left a little, smiling at how closely his partner was watching since he could pick up the moves. He knew that the part was coming up, so he locked eyes with the blue orbs and winked. “ _When we sway I grow weak!_ ”

Kageyama followed instructions and adjusted his posture as he leaned forward and dipped Hinata. The dancer spun out of his right hand, extending out his left arm and leg in one swift move. He turned back into the warm embrace, this time with their chests pressed together. He slowly dragged his left foot back in as he felt his breathing start to fall in sync with his partner. 

The two of them ignored the music once they realized how close they were. A cool, dragged out breath layered thickly on the tip of Hinata’s nose and he felt his own breathing stop once his gaze was held captive by the dangerously dark blue eyes again. It was silent between them with nothing but heavy breathing and the figurative noise of temptations. Lips were only inches apart, chests were pressed together, and it was creating a slight friction. 

Although he didn’t want to be, Hinata was fully aware of the gap between them starting to close. He was the one who was still, frozen in his place. He wanted to plant his feet into the ground, to stay there and let things run its course, but the yelling in the back of his head led him to breaking the stare. 

He broke away and stepped back, turning his gaze to the side. “T-That was good.” 

The expression on Kageyama’s face never changed, which could only mean that he had no idea what he was doing. He had no idea how catastrophic his actions would be if Hinata hadn’t moved. The dancer was almost envious of that innocence. 

“Let’s take that from the top.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I completely forgot about the mall visit, which is me for writing too much again but that will definitely be at the beginning of the next chapter. Please bare with me and my slow updates

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed :). Like I said before this may not be the most perfect fanfic but I had fun writing it. Don't forget to leave kudos!


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